Chocolate Cupcakes with Matcha Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

You’ll love these moist, perfectly sweet and 100% whole grain Chocolate Cupcakes with Matcha Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting! The perfect treat to satisfy your chocolate craving!

I wasn’t planning to share a festive recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s one of those take it or leave it kind of holidays for me. I’m not a big fan of beer, cocktails and wine are more my style and I’m not Irish. I was however having a nostalgic moment down memory lane last week, remembering how every St. Patrick’s Day we would make those highly addicting pistachio pudding cupcakes with canned frosting of course.

Thinking about those cupcakes put me in the mood to make some, but this time I decided to skip the pudding mix and canned frosting. I’m not going to tell you that these Chocolate Cupcakes with Matcha Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting are by any means health food, this is dessert after all. However, they do happen to be 100% whole grain and instead of using green dye in the frosting, I went with the natural approach and used matcha powder.

As I ranted about when I made these Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes for Valentine’s Day, dyes freak me out. I hate how they turns your lips, tongue and fingers whatever color you happen to be eating, I can only imagine what it’s doing to the inside of your body.

Matcha powder was the perfect substitution for green dye, I mean look at that frosting, it’s the perfect shade of spring green! If you’re a fan of the somewhat “grassy” flavor of matcha you’ll go crazy for the frosting and if you’re not, I’m happy to report that the chocolate cupcake and the vanilla bean in the frosting do wonders for making the grassiness less noticeable.If you’re looking for a slightly better for you cupcake to make this Friday or any time you get a cupcake craving, this chocolate matcha frosted beauty is definitely worth giving a try!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Matcha Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

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Preparation 00:15 Cook Time 00:15 Serves 12     adjust servings

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Matcha Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces low fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
• 1 teaspoon matcha powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a standard muffin tin with parchment paper liners (parchment paper liners will keep the cupcakes from sticking since there is no butter or oil in them).
2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, yogurt, egg, sugar and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and stir together just until combined.
5. Pour the boiling water into the batter and stir together until smooth, the batter will be fairly thin, this is okay.
6. Fill the cupcake liners approximately 2/3 full with batter (I used a 3 tablespoon sized scoop).
7. Bake the cupcakes for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean, but with a few crumbs attached.
8. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack completely before frosting them.

Matcha Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add in the matcha powder, pinch of salt and seeds of the vanilla bean or the vanilla bean paste or extract and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once to make sure everything is mixed together.
3. Add in the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating slowly at first then on high once it's incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition of powdered sugar.
4. Once the frosting is smooth and fluffy, pipe or spread it onto the completely cooled cupcakes.
5. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

by Danae

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