"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."-Abraham Lincoln
I have been in a secret relationship for many years now. Upon entering the work force, it became painfully obvious to me that in order to join the ranks of the "real adult" club I would need to leave my Sunny Delight at the door. The constant interrogation from my coffee strung out co-workers that always ended with "Gotcha self a cuppa joe yet?" (insert pirate arrrgh here), made me realize that coffee (or at least the appearance of coffee) was a prerequisite to building a solid work reputation. Taste, unfortunately, was the deal breaker for standard office coffee, and my limited budget and turtle-like metabolism clearly eliminated Starbucks. I was at a perpetual caffeine crossroads when I discovered my love--green tea.
Green tea has been widely popular in eastern Asia for centuries. Cultivated primarily in China and Japan, green tea is a nutritional power-house, packed with cancer fighting antioxidants. Green tea is also gaining increasing popularity in baked goods and deserts. So, it only seemed fitting to be the inspiration behind our next cupcake feature--green tea cupcakes.
The recipe of choice is from Cupcakeblog.com for the green tea, lavender, and honey cupcake bombe. It is a creative twist on your typical green tea cupcake but can be for the more advanced bakers. If you are looking for a more simple approach, nix the lavender and honey ice cream mentioned in the recipe and create only the green tea cake and Matcha buttercream frosting (the result is pictured top left).
When baking with green tea, you must use the powdered form or Matcha. The best bargain for Matcha will be at a local Asian market, but if that is not available in your area, Matcha can also be found at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or online.
Image source: cupcakeblog.com, anshfoodblog.blogspot.com
-RW
