Matcha tea
is a powdered Japanese tea - the tea plants are grown predominantly in Japan -
it is becoming increasingly popular in Europe because of its benefits and
exquisitely unique flavour and aroma. Having said that, this little miracle tea
costs a fortune. I paid CHF 22.00 for 50 grams of this organic high-grade
quality tea.
You can find
high quality Matcha green tea at Betjeman and Barton on Rue
Saint-Joseph 35, Carouge.
Here are a
few of the many benefits this tea has to offer
*Boosts metabolism
and helps weight loss
*Prevents cancers
and slows ageing
*Good source
of fibre and energy
*Improves your
physical endurance
Matcha green tea can also be used in
cake recipes, I used the basic recipe for all cupcakes and added Matcha green
tea powder and made pretty, colourful and yummy cupcakes.
Here is the recipe to make 12
regular sized cupcakes.
Ingredients
115g superfine sugar
115g butter, room temperature
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
115g self-raising flour
10g Matcha green tea
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a 12
hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
2. In a bowl, beat the butter and
sugar until a light and whitish batter is obtained. You can use an electric
whisk. Add the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour and fold it into the batter.
Add the Matcha green tea powder and the milk and beat to a creamy, thick and smooth mixture.
3. Put a big spoonful of the mixture
into each of the cases. Bake in the preheated oven for about 17 minutes until
golden brown.
4. Remove the cupcakes from the oven
and set aside to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. When the
cupcakes are cold, pipe the Matcha cream cheese frosting on top.
Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
115g icing sugar
40g unsalted butter, room
temperature
1 1/2 tsp Matcha powder
125g cream cheese, cold
Preparation
1. Beat the icing sugar and butter
with a handheld electric whisk on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes
together and is well mixed.
2. Add the Matcha powder, then the
cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the
mixer up to medium-high speed. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at
least 5 mins. Do not over-beat, as it can quickly become runny.
3. Decorate
the top of each cupcake with the frosting.