Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes for St Patrick's Day

Natural Green Cupcakes With No Green Food Coloring

© Stephanie Jolly

Feb 13, 2009

Instead of serving guests a bottle of artificial green food coloring this March, many health conscious consumers will be "living green" and seeking natural green dyes or foods that are green in their raw state and provide beneficial nutrition naturally The green chlorophyll in tea leaves functions as a natural food coloring giving these vanilla cupcakes an Irish twist just in time for St Patrick's Day.

Naturally Green Matcha Tea Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp matcha green tea powder

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating each one for ~30 seconds before adding the next.
4. Add in vanilla extract.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in half the dry ingredients into the butter/egg mixture.
6. Dissolve and stir matcha green tea powder into milk. Mix into batter. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Avoid over-mixing as this will result in dry, tunnel-riddled cupcakes.
7. Spoon batter into greased or lined muffin tins until 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool before removing from pan.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Whipped White Icing for Shamrock Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup butter, softened to room temp
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Heat flour and milk together on the stove-top heated to medium. Whisk constantly until thick, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and cooked flour mixture.
3. Whip on medium high until light and volume doubles in size.

This cooked frosting can be made pure white by substituting shortening in place of butter and by using a clear vanilla extract. Butter based frosting should be refrigerated unless consumed the same day it is prepared. Frosting can be colored green with the addition of green tea powder as a substitute for green food coloring.

Matcha Green Tea Powder Provides Antioxidant Nutrition Naturally

The Japanese green tea powder in these cupcakes, called matcha or macha, is a powdered green tea traditionally used in ceremonies but now widely celebrated as an antioxidant supplement because of its high concentration of polyphenols. That makes these cupcakes a healthier option when compared to traditional green cupcakes. Matcha tea powder can be purchased at health food stores and certain specialty grocery stores.

Green tea cupcakes make a colorful addition to St Patrick's day parties and can also be eaten and enjoyed year round as a flavorful way to gain the health benefits of green tea.

For more recipes using natural food color, or for a recipe for cream cheese frosting, see Naturally Colored Red Velvet Cake.

Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes - Natural Green Cupcakes

Natural Green Foods - Cupcakes with Matcha Tea

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