Tools For Making Matcha Rainbow Cupcakes

 

Here are a few tools that will help you out when you make these cupcakes:

• Piping bag(s)
• Piping tip
• Plastic wrap
• Stainless steel sifter: for sifting matcha
• Muffin tin
• Muffin liners
• Large ice cream/ cookie scoop: to fill liners

 

 

 

How To Pipe Rainbow Buttercream

 

1. After making your buttercream, divide it up into 5 separate bowls and add food coloring to each. We did red, orange, green, blue, and purple.
2. Prepare a piping bag fitted with a tip. We used a 1M piping tip.
3. Lay out a long piece of plastic wrap so it is flat on the table. Using a spatula, spoon, or other piping bags, place each color buttercream on the plastic wrap in long lines, one next to the other.
4. Gently roll the plastic wrap so the colors are now cylindrical. Do this by picking up one side of the plastic wrap so it is completely lifted off the counter, then pull it over, folding, till the last color is now next to the first. (per the photo: the purple buttercream will be next to the red buttercream.)
5. Twist both ends of the plastic wrap until tightly sealed. Cut one end of the plastic wrap, then place into prepared piping bag, cut side down toward the tip. Apply pressure so buttercream starts to push out. Do a couple test circles to get the buttercream pressed through to the tip.

Now you’re ready to pipe some rainbows!

 

Matcha Rainbow Cupcakes

 

 

 

Ingredients

Matcha Cupcakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons culinary grade matcha
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup milk, room temperature

 

Vanilla Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup heavy cream or milk, room temperature 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Gel food coloring

 

Directions

Matcha Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and matcha. Set aside.
3. Using an an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing on medium speed, until combined. 
4. Add half the flour mixture; mix until just combined. Add milk; mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture; mix until just combined.
5. Fill each liner ¾ of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before decorating and filling with sprinkles.

 

Vanilla Buttercream:

1. In an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed, until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat on low speed, then increase to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add more powdered sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, to make the buttercream thicker if desired, or heavy cream tablespoon by tablespoon if you want a thinner consistency. Evenly divide buttercream into 5 separate bowls and add food coloring to each. We did red, orange, green, blue, and purple.
2. Once cooled, remove the centers of the cupcakes using the wide end of a piping tip or, cut out using a knife (don’t cut all the way through). Fill the hollowed centers with rainbow sprinkles; plug the hole back up with the piece of cake you cut out. 
3. Pipe rainbow buttercream; refer to “how to pipe rainbow buttercream” section above.