Green Tea Mini Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

When my friend Charlie requested green tea cupcakes as his birthday treat, I was a little unsure of how they would turn out. I don’t really drink green tea. I’ve never made anything with green tea. The only reference I had in my brain was a sample of green tea fro yo. In true Ari fashion, I found a recipe to use for reference, then just did my own thing 🙂

Green Tea Mini Cupcakes

yield 20 mini cupcakes

• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 tsp matcha powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• 3 tbs organic raw cane sugar
• 1 1/2 tbs Splenda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 20 mini muffin tins and spray insides of liners (lower fat cupcakes tend to stick to the liner if you don’t).
2. Combine flour, matcha powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, sugar, Splenda, egg white, and vanilla.
4. Add wet ingredients into dry, then add yogurt. Mix until just incorporated.
5. Fill each lined muffin tin about 2/3 and bake for 10-14 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool completely and top with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

yield frosting for 20 mini cupcakes (it really ended up being the PERFECT amount!)

• 4 oz fat free cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbs light whipped butter, softened
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp coconut extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy.
2. Add extracts.
3. Add powdered sugar (you can use more or less depending on your sweetness preference).
4. Top cooled cupcakes.
5. Optional: If desired, top with sweetened flaked coconut.

I ended up being sooooo happy with the results! I would seriously make these cupcakes over and over again! The texture was perfect, and the flavor combination between the coconut and the green tea (something I kind of went for on a whim hoping it would work) was perfectly balanced!