These cupcakes are delicious! (If I do say so myself)! This recipe is more sweet than the Matcha Roll Cake recipe, especially with the buttercream on top and it’s more of a normal cake consistency. I loved the buttercream with matcha added, the flavour was definitely better than regular sickly sweet buttercream.
Like the cake roll, I added the adzuki beans to stay faithful to Japanese dessert traditions, hiding it inside the cupcake! I only gave one of these away to a girlfriend…. which means….. well we all know who ate the rest! OOPS!!!
Matcha Cupcakes
- 240g unsalted butter
- 300g caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons Matcha Tea powder
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 4 large eggs
- 400g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 250ml milk
- 1 can azuki beans (found in international food stores, the azuki or adzuki beans are commonly sweetened before eating by boiling with sugar, and can also result in a red bean paste)
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Place cupcake liners into cupcake baking tray.
- In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until pale and then add sifted matcha tea powder. Mix until matcha tea is completely incorporated into butter/sugar mixture.
- Add honey and while mixer continues to mix on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Sift together flour, salt and baking powder and add to mixer in two batches. Alternate flour with milk. Continue until combined, and when finished use a spatula to ensure all ingredients from bottom of bowl are completely incorporated into the finished cake batter.
- Spoon into a piping bag and pipe the cake batter into cupcake liners. Place in oven and bake until cupcakes are slightly golden and an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing.
- Using a round piping nozzle tip, remove a cylinder of cake from the centre of each cupcake, and using two teaspoons, carefully spoon the azuki beans into the hole. Smooth top.
Matcha Buttercream
- 230g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 390g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons matcha tea powder
- pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
(Add extra milk if the buttercream is too thick. Add extra icing sugar if the buttercream is too thin. I piped mine onto each cupcake so it was necessary for it to hold & maintain it’s structure).
Beat butter with an electric mixer until soft and smooth. Sift matcha tea powder and icing sugar together and add slowly to butter mixture. Add with a tablespoon, and mix well after each addition. Add salt & milk. Have mixer on high to get a fluffy and well incorporated buttercream. Using a large star nozzle tip, piped a generous swirl on top of each cupcake. Keep in refrigerator and remove, bringing to room temperature about 30min prior to serving. 
