Green Tea Cupcake (Vegan Cupcake #4)
Ok, I had been eying the Green Tea cupcakes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but I wasn't able to find Matcha (steamed and finely powdered green tea). The recipe says nothing else will do. I knew Lee Lee market (the big Asian/international grocery) would be the best place to find it. I went right before it closed last night to avoid the masses of people that are always shopping there. Besides it was dark and so much cooler outside.
Lee Lee Market is set up in an unusual way, most of the aisles are arranged by food types (Korean, Japanese, Middle Eastern, etc.) with the exception of a few things like sweets. I tried the Japanese aisle first with no luck (but found Fu which is a type of dehydrated wheat gluten used for meat substitutes, and cheaper panko). Then I went down the tea aisle . . . 3 times and could not find Matcha. They have a bazillion varieties of bagged green tea, but no Matcha. I wandered a bit more and then decided to try one more time down the tea aisle. And there it was, a tiny little can labeled $9.99. I looked to see if there might be another variety for less and there was another can, also labeled $9.99. I had really wanted to make these cupcakes, and came all this way, so I went ahead and bought it.
This morning I set about baking them before it got too hot. The recipe calls for 3-4 teaspoons of Matcha, which is quite a bit from that small can! The batter turned a creamy green color, similar to those green smoothies, and smelled interesting. They smelled interesting baking as well.
I didn't have a chance to buy marzipan for the topping, so I mixed some Natural Balance, sugar, and food coloring which I flattened and froze. Then I carefully cut out the blossoms with one of my bento cutters.
Finally came the taste test, and the verdict, awesome! The cupcake is extremely moist (thanks to soy yogurt) and has a mild green tea flavor and not too sweet. The glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness. And I love the green color with the pink flowers! I purposefully used only the pink cupcake liners as well. Carol, you would LOVE these! If you're still in town you'd better come grab one before they are gone!
Worth the $10 can of Matcha? Yes!
Lee Lee Market is set up in an unusual way, most of the aisles are arranged by food types (Korean, Japanese, Middle Eastern, etc.) with the exception of a few things like sweets. I tried the Japanese aisle first with no luck (but found Fu which is a type of dehydrated wheat gluten used for meat substitutes, and cheaper panko). Then I went down the tea aisle . . . 3 times and could not find Matcha. They have a bazillion varieties of bagged green tea, but no Matcha. I wandered a bit more and then decided to try one more time down the tea aisle. And there it was, a tiny little can labeled $9.99. I looked to see if there might be another variety for less and there was another can, also labeled $9.99. I had really wanted to make these cupcakes, and came all this way, so I went ahead and bought it.
This morning I set about baking them before it got too hot. The recipe calls for 3-4 teaspoons of Matcha, which is quite a bit from that small can! The batter turned a creamy green color, similar to those green smoothies, and smelled interesting. They smelled interesting baking as well.
I didn't have a chance to buy marzipan for the topping, so I mixed some Natural Balance, sugar, and food coloring which I flattened and froze. Then I carefully cut out the blossoms with one of my bento cutters.
Finally came the taste test, and the verdict, awesome! The cupcake is extremely moist (thanks to soy yogurt) and has a mild green tea flavor and not too sweet. The glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness. And I love the green color with the pink flowers! I purposefully used only the pink cupcake liners as well. Carol, you would LOVE these! If you're still in town you'd better come grab one before they are gone!
Worth the $10 can of Matcha? Yes!