Green tea chocolate cupcakes

Around the same time that I got addicted to baking last summer, I discovered the world of loose-leaf tea. I actually grew up drinking regular loose-leaf green tea, but hadn't had much else past that. When I visited a tea shop for the first time, it was a little overwhelming. Rows upon rows of tea infused with fruit and spices and some stuff I couldn't even pronounce. It was fun trying all sorts of different flavors, but at the end of day, I always found myself coming back to regular green tea.

Cupcake hanging out in actual loose-leaf green tea

It's probably no coincidence that a lot of my baking contains green tea. As I've mentioned before, my first few adventures into baking were almost exclusively with green tea flavors. It was before my blogging days, but there were cookies and brownies and cupcakes - all flavored with green tea.

As I experimented more, I found that green tea actually pairs quite well with many different other things. One of my favorites is with chocolate. The earthiness of the tea really matches up well with the traditional sweetness of the chocolate.

Which brings me to today's cupcake - a simple (but rich) chocolate cupcake topped with intense green tea buttercream. I've made both of these components before. The chocolate cupcake is my go-to-recipe when I need a basic chocolate cupcake and the green tea buttercream tops off my red bean mochi cupcakes perfectly. For the first time, they are getting paired together.

There's nothing really much for me to comment on in terms of the technical aspects of baking - make the cupcake, make the buttercream, combine, and EAT.

Pour yourself a cup of green tea chocolate cupcake!

Chocolate Cupcakes -  makes ~15 cupcakes
(From Sally's Baking Addiction)

• ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup (42 g) cocoa powdered (unsweetened)
• ½ cup of butter (unsalted)
• 2 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (100 g) of white sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) of dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• ½ cup of buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350C.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) together. 
3. Melt butter with chocolate in the microwave (use 30 second intervals) until melted and mix until smooth. Let cool. 
4. Mix eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Add cooled chocolate butter mixture. Fold in flour mixture, and then the buttermilk. Mix until just combined (don't overbeat!)
5. Line a cupcake tin with liners. Fill each with ~3 tbsp of batter. 
6. Bake in oven for 18 minutes (regular cupcakes) or until an inserted fork in the middle comes out clean. 
7. Let cool and top with buttercream (see recipe below) and enjoy!

Green tea buttercream - makes enough to frost above cupcakes

• ½ cup of butter (unsalted)
• 1½ cup (180 g) of powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp of milk 
• 2 Tbsp of green tea matcha powder

1. Cream butter in a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar and continue mixing until completely combined and a smooth consistency is formed. 
3. Add in milk to thin the frosting out slightly. Add more if needed. (Can add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin). 
4. Add in matcha powder and keep mixing until completely combined. 
5. Pipe onto cupcakes and enjoy!