Matcha Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Adapted from Magnolia Bakery and My Name is Yeh

Ingredients

For the Cake

2 ½ cups cake flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

¾ cup whole milk

For the Matcha Buttercream

1 cup salted butter, cubed, at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons matcha powder (culinary quality is fine)

2 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk together the cake flour, salt, baking soda,and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Whisk in the buttermilk.
3. Gradually add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Whisk in the milk.
4. Evenly divide the batter among 24 muffin tin wells lined with cupcake liners. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before you begin to frost the them.
5. Make the buttercream. Whip the butter until light and fluffy, then gradually whisk in the sugar, about ½ cup at a time. Whisk in the matcha powder, then about 1 tablespoon of milk. If it is a little too stiff, whip in the remaining tablespoon of milk.
6. Frost the cupcakes with a piping bag or spatula and spoon. To create the peaked top on the frosting, spoon/pipe a rounded mound of frosting in the center of the cupcake, then pat it with the back of a spoon to created a circle of frosting, then lift the spoon to create a peak.