Vegan Recipe Monday: Green Tea Cupcakes

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Well, here I am again. And, umm, yes, I have absolutely nothing to say. But it’s a Monday, so I can post a recipe. This one is an ode to a friend’s birthday that was, ohhhh, four or so months ago now? The recipe was delectable enough that it stayed with me, so I’ll refer you to it now. I found the basic recipe for the cupcake part here: Vegan Green Tea Cupcakes. It’s adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (by Isa and Terry, of course), and I would note the following additions to the recipe posted on the link:

- In Fahrenheit, that’s 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Although she doesn’t say to, preheat the oven.
- Also, a tip: the sifting part is crucial. I made SO many bad batches of vegan cupcakes until I finally learned to sift the way my granny taught me. Sifting is the key to fluffy cupcakes – without it, they’re too dense.

I couldn’t find the match glaze recipe anywhere online, so it’s here:

Matcha Glaze
(courtesy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

2 tbsp margarine (I used Earth Balance)
1/8 to 1/4 tsp matcha powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
Drop of vanilla extract
1 – 2 tbsp rice milk

1. Beat the margarine briefly with a fork or electric beater.
2. Add the sugar and then the matcha until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Then add the rice milk one tablespoon at a time until the mixture is spreadable without being too watery.
4. After the cupcakes have cooled, spread on the glaze with a spoon or spatula and spread around.

If you’re especially artistically-inclined, you might also choose to add pink marzipan flowers to the top of each cupcake. If you do, they could look approximately like this. Or, if you’re well-meaning but not particularly artistic, they could look like mine (above). Here’s a secret: they’ll taste the same! I know, shh, don’t tell.

To make the marzipan flowers, you basically buy a tube of vegan marzipan. Take approximately 1/4 cup to work with and knead 1 or 2 drops of red food coloring into it (setting a little marzipan aside first for the contrasting-colored center dot). Roll or press out into a thin disk with a little powdered sugar to keep it from sticking to your surface (I used wax paper and then dipped my fingers in powdered sugar to work with the pressing and shaping). You can then either cut out the flowers whole or cut out individual petals to moosh together, placing the uncolored dot in the middle. Use a toothpick to draw little lines on the individual petals and then press into the green tea glaze before it sets. You can also buy silver or gold dragees for the center of the flower, or forget the flower entirely and just ice and eat – same difference.

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Filed under baking, recipe, vegan/vegetarian