Almond Green Tea Cupcakes
Ever since purchasing the cookbook “Baked: New Frontiers in Baking,” I’ve been lusting over the recipe for Almond Green Tea Cupcakes. New Years Eve finally seemed like an appropriate occasion for these “fortune cupcakes.”
I’m not gonna lie—this recipe was very time intensive. Many ingredients and many steps. The biggest issue I encountered was not being able to locate matcha powder, except online. I went to three local grocery stores and searched in vain, ultimately settling for a liquid version. As a result, I had to tweak the frosting a bit, and I’m not sure I got it right. Seems like the matcha flavor and green color should have been more pronounced. 
Regardless, I think the the cupcakes were stunning. And delicious! And my friends were super excited about the fortune cookies on top. Next time I whip up a batch, I’ll have to find a way to track down some elusive matcha powder.
For the Almond Cupcake
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
1 large egg
1 cup ice cold water
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
For the Green Tea Frosting
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. unsweetened matcha powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
To Assemble the Cupcakes
4 oz. (3/4 cup) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
24 white-chocolate-dipped fortune cookies (technique follows)
Make the almond cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the almonds until they are a find powder. Put the powdered almonds in a small bowl and set aside.
Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in to a large bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add the egg, and beat until just combined. Turn the mixer to low. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the ice water, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Fold in the powdered almonds.
Fill the cupcake liners about three quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and place them on the rack to cool completely.
Make the green tea Frosting: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar, flour, and matcha powder together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and continue beating until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put it in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then mix it again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and mix again.
Assemble the cupcakes: There are many ways to frost a cupcake. If you have a pastry bag, simply fit the bag with the largest tip, fill the bag with frosting, and pipe enough frosting to cover the cupcake. If you do not have a pastry bag, use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop the frosting and dispense it onto the top of the cupcake. You can also use an offset spatula to frost the cupcakes. Top with a fortune cookies.
How to dip fortune cookies in melted chocolate: Melt the white chocolate. Dip half of a fortune cookie in the melted white chocolate. Remove the fortune cookie from the chocolate and let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Place the fortune cookie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the fortune cookies have been dipped, place the sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until the chocolate sets. Use immediately.
Category: Recipes from the Cookbook "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking"
January 4th, 2010 at 6:44 am
Wow these look amazing!
We have been baking with matcha too….
http://www.teapigs.co.uk/blog/2010/01/bakers-delight.php
June 10th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
the antioxidants in green tea really helps prevent cancer and some other forms of tumors.~’”
August 17th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
hi!
I tried to make these but with not so much success. Maybe you can help me with a few things.
I too had trouble finding matcha powder but I did find some organic green tea powder at a health food place. It’s really concentrated, so I need to play with how much I use because my frosting was definitely green, not the pretty cream colored green.
1) regarding the frosting, when you put the sugar, flour and matcha in the saucepan and whisk is it just to mix it together or should the sugar melt down?
2) then once you add the cream and milk did you leave it on the stove based on time? My mixture started boiling after about ten minutes and seemed to be thickening so I took it off but then once I mixed everything together my frosting never really became frosting… it stayed kind of runny, even after refrigerating and beating it again.
thanks!
September 8th, 2010 at 10:41 am
i love the taste of green tea and it also helps you relax by lowering your blood pressure*”:
October 11th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
green tea has lots of anti-oxidant that is really needed by our body to combat free radicals*,~
October 23rd, 2010 at 6:40 am
green tea also have lots of anti-oxidants that support cardiovascular health;`-
November 28th, 2010 at 1:51 am
Try to visit your local Japanese Grocery Store. I got my Matcha powder there.
December 13th, 2010 at 11:00 am
i would love to sip a cup of green tea each morning because it contains L-theanine which calms the mind “:’
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January 27th, 2012 at 6:06 am
[...] Half of these went to my friends at Klip (if you’re interested in quick videos from the iPhone, be sure to check them out), and the other half went to my former manager and friend Andres. That was a fun delivery, to the NASA Space Program offices at Moffett Park. Get the recipe for the cupcakes at Mad City Girl. [...]