The power of matcha (cupcakes)

There seems to be a sort of matcha craze going on at the moment. For those of you who aren't familiar with this super green stuff, matcha is a Japanese green tea made from shade grown tea leaves, which has been ground into a powder.   I only knew about it as a green tea used in desserts- to flavour ice cream, cakes and hot and cold drinks.  Artisan du Chocolat do an amazing matcha and white hot chocolate, the two flavours make an absolutely delish combination.

Unbeknownst to me, matcha does a lot more that desserts.  Apparently it's so concentrated that it contains bundles of antioxidents, nutrients and all that shiz, which can increase your metabolism (read: lose weight) and improve your mood (read: make you a super super happy person). 

I don't know whether a celebrity has been spotted sipping matcha milkshakes or some health expert has been waxing lyrical about this stuff in the latest issue of Women's Weekly, but all of a sudden matcha has risen in the popularity stakes, especially at work.  A new matcha product arrived recently, to add to our other two, and customers have been enquiring as to its powerful properties.  Of course, I didn't know about any of the health benefits, I just thought it went well in desserts.

"Yes, it's great, and has a lot more antioxidants than regular green tea", I answered one of the curious customers, while reading off the back of the packet.

"Do you feel drinking matcha makes you happy?", asked another. 
"Well I use it in cupcakes", I replied, "and cupcakes make me happy."

Green Tea Cupcakes

Makes 12

This recipe has been adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery recipe for green tea cupcakes.  Their recipe calls for 20g of matcha in the frosting, which I was a felt was a little overpowering.  It's also pretty expensive- about £10 for my 20 gram pot! I was using premium matcha though so this might have been slightly more concentrated.

4 green tea bags

130ml whole milk
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
40g butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

for the frosting-
250g icing sugar
80g butter, cut into cubes
10g matcha powder, plus extra to decorate
30ml whole milk

1. Put the green tea bags into a jug and pour over the milk.  Cover the jug and leave to infuse for a few hours or overnight if possible. 

2.  Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and add the butter.  Using an electric whisk or wooden spoon, mix all the ingredients together until the butter is all incorporated.

3.  Take the teabags out of the milk, add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat together lightly.  Pour the egg and milk little by little into the flour and sugar mixture, then whisk for a few minutes until all incorporated and the mixture is smooth.  Don't overbeat.

4.  Once the mixture is smooth, spoon into cupcake trays lined with paper cases, and fill until about two thirds full.  Place in the oven and leave to cook for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and spongy to the touch.

5. Meanwhile, make the frosting.  Pout out the icing sugar and add the matcha powder, then add the butter and cream together until mixed in well. Add the milk and beat until the frosting is smooth, light and fluffy.  Wait until the cupcakes have completely cooled before spreading the frosting onto them. 

Enjoy!