Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

I was given the opportunity to bake for a cafe/art gallery here in Provo, The F Stop Cafe  (250 n. Univ. Ave.) a little while back. These are the cupcakes I made for them that got me the gig. ;) I wanted to make something fun, spunky, and fitting to the feel of their place. I'd been wanting to try Martha Stewart's strawberry buttercream recipe for a while and thought this the perfect opportunity to do so. A local coffee joint gave me a sample of their matcha green tea powder just a few days earlier and instantly knew the combination was gonna rock. It obviously did . ;) The candies I used to decorate made these so fun and inviting. Who wouldn't want a cupcake covered in pop rocks I mean come on! I used Billy's Vanilla Cupcake recipe and just added the green tea powder to the batter, which made the color a faint green, totally awesome.

Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes about 30 cupcakes
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
(2 tbsp. matcha green tea powder) my addition
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour. (This is where I added 2tbsp. of green tea matcha powder)

2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Martha Stewart's Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Ingredients

4 large egg whites

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups (3sticks) butter-room temperature, cut in tablespoons

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) strawberry jam, pureed in food processor

Directions

In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg-white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Beat in vanilla. Beat on lowest speed to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir in strawberry jam with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.

(Now you can frost these by hand or fill a pastry bag and use a tip, but just a tip for you: if your strawberries aren't very finely pureed you will have a hard time when your using a tip while frosting.) 


Decorate however you like, the crazier the better!!