Matcha Mania

     So today I have made a cupcake that I have been wanting to make for ages! For those of you who are fans of green tea, green tea lattes (they are SO good!!), or milk green tea bubble teas you have got to give these Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes a try! I have modeled my version of these light green treats from my all time favourite hot drink: the green tea latte. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to try one of these wonderful drinks, I will try to share with you what they are like. Green tea lattes are made, not usually with a green tea bag that is steeped, but with a powdered green tea called matcha powder. This powder, plus some other special ingredients are steamed with milk to a mellow, slightly sweet perfection that has hints of green tea and sweet warm milk. The creamy latte foam on top of this steamy sipper adds all the more to the relaxing experience of this drink.
   Now having said that, I would like to think that my version of Green Tea Matcha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing are something as lovely as the drink itself. Now I know that at first glance you wonder if these cupcakes have been pulled out of the bottom of your brother's hockey bag because of their green colour..... but don't let that turn you off. I really do recommend giving this recipe a try!

Green Tea Cupcakes*
*recipe from Allrecipes.com [9.]

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Matcha green tea powder is just as it sounds - it is a green powder that tastes like green tea, just not as bitter as true steeped green tea can be. It comes in jars and sealed foil bags and you can usually find it at any Asian supermarket. If you have trouble finding it, (sometimes the labels are not in english), just ask a store worker where the matcha powder is, they'll know where to find it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cups cake and pastry flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 8 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar 
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, (or stand mixer bowl if you have one), mix together your flour, baking soda, matcha powder, sugar and salt until combined. Set aside.
3. In another medium sized bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: the oil, eggs and yogurt, just until combined.
4. Next add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat together until well combined and the batter is all one green colour.
5. Pour the batter into your muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
6. Bake in the oven for 16 minutes, or until a toothpick placed into the cupcake pulls out clean.
7. Place on cooling rack and let cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing
*Recipe adapted from a Canadian Living recipe [13.]

Makes enough icing to ice 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese 
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 vanilla extract
• Green food colouring (optional)
• 1 - 1 1/2 tsp milk or half-'n-half cream

Directions:

1. Place the sugar, and salt into a medium sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Add your cream cheese and butter to a large mixing bowl and cream together until smooth with a mixer.
3. Add vanilla and the green food colouring and mix in.
4. Next add 1/3rd of the icing sugar mixture to your butter mixture and beat until combined. Repeat this step two more times, adding the sugar to the main icing in two separate additions.
5. Lastly, add the milk (or cream) to the icing a few drops at a time, mixing after adding the milk each time. Add the milk a little at a go until you get the icing to be a smooth consistency.
   
   **Note: Since this icing has cream cheese in it, you either have to eat your cupcakes soon after you ice them or refrigerate until needed.