I’ve been drinking green tea since forever and I love its calming effect it has on the body. I have it every night before bed to help me relax and forget about the stresses of the day. So it was only a matter of time before I incorporated this leaf into my cooking and baking.

Green tea has many health benefits. Aside from its antioxidant properties, it helps in preventing memory loss and protects the brain from free radicals, and helps your heart stay healthy. It’s also said to help with other diseases and inflammation, and some claim it helps with weight loss. I’m not big on the last one because I can’t see any tea helping you to lose weight per se – it really comes down to how well you’re eating, and what kind of foods and drinks you’re incorporating to further help with your weight goals.

Matcha powder is basically ground up green tea, but where it differs is in the process of how it’s grown, which increases the health benefits because of this special process. Since you’re ingesting the entire green tea leaf versus just steeping the tea in hot water, you’re providing your body with so much more amazing benefits. So a bit of matcha sprinkled on your tea or in this case, in and on your cupcakes is more than enough to reap its reward. Which is a great thing because I find that too much matcha in your food can make it bitter tasting.

Plus, it colors your food green, the natural and healthy way! Major win 😉

Matcha Cupcakes with Simple Vanilla Icing

Here’s a quick and delicious recipe for these adorable Matcha Cupcakes that are iced with a simple vanilla icing that I know you’re going to love. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Skip the icing if you’re not a fan – we’re not big on icing in our home. I should backtrack – my son isn’t big on the icing but that’s the only part of the cupcake that my daughter will lick clean. She leaves the rest of it for me to finish. Kids… go figure.

These Matcha Cupcakes are free from:

dairy
egg
peanut
soy
tree nuts
sesame
artificial dyes
animal product

Hope you love these cupcakes! Connect with me on Instagram for more allergy friendly inspiration. xx, Laila

Matcha Cupcakes With Simple Vanilla Icing

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A delicious dessert that’s so easy to whip up, made in 1 bowl, and naturally colored thanks to matcha. These Matcha Cupcakes are perfect for any occasion – birthdays, holidays, and is festive enough for St. Patrick’s Day!

Author: Laila Sbeinati
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 12 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

Matcha Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon matcha (green tea) powder, plus more for dusting cupcakes
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk, from a carton – not a can
1/2 Tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
6 Tablespoons light veggie oil, such as canola or grape seed

Simple Vanilla Icing

1 cup vegan butter – I use the Earth Balance brand
3 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons coconut milk or dairy free milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350˚F and line muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In a measuring cup, measure your milk and add vinegar. Stir a couple of times then set aside for a few minutes to sour the milk.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, matcha, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sugar and whisk together until ingredients are combined.
Next, add soured milk and oil to dry ingredients and using a spatula or a wooden spoon, stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.
Divide batter evenly among the paper liners. Fill no more than 2/3 to 3/4 of the way per liner.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a bit of crumb stuck to it. Remove and allow cupcakes to slightly cool in the tin a few minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing

In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat all ingredients until icing is silky smooth. If you find the icing is too soft, cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to help it solidify. Remove and spoon or pipe icing onto cupcakes.
Dust iced cupcakes with matcha powder.

Notes

Always remember that every oven varies in temperature. If you know your oven is hot, then check cupcakes at the 20 minute mark. You want the cupcakes to be ever so slightly underdone because they’ll continue to bake once you remove them from the oven.

If you find your icing is too dry, add a teaspoon of dairy free milk at a time until desired consistency is achieved. And as I’ve mentioned in the instructions, if you find your icing not holding its shape when piping (too soft), cover bowl and place in the fridge to help it solidify so you can pipe it; or just spoon icing on cupcakes to make it an easy step. 🙂

Once you’ve iced your cupcakes, enjoy immediately or store in the fridge and remove when ready to enjoy.