If you haven’t already seen hi-hat cupcakes all over the Internet, you are missing out. Adorable, right? Hi-hat cupcakes get their charm from a swirly mound of chocolate-dipped frosting– often marshmallow fluff or some other monstrously sweet topping. If you’re like me, and love dessert, but don’t necessarily crave super-sweet eats (don’t ask how this makes sense) the solution comes in the form of matcha.

Matcha is a finely ground powder of green tea used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. The tea tastes innately vegetal at first, ending on a note of mellow sweetness. When incorporated into a standard vanilla cupcake recipe, the dessert takes on matcha’s strong flavor profile, balancing the sweetness coming from that two-inch pile of frosting for which hi-hat cupcakes are known and loved.

You most likely cannot eat a hi-hat cupcake daintily; steer into the skid and embrace the frosting on your nose!

Adapted from Food Network

Matcha Hi-Hat Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons matcha
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup cane sugar
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

For the frosting:
4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar (plus ~1/2 cup extra if needed), sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping and filling:
1 2/3 cups dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons coconut oil
~2 tablespoons raspberry jam

Directions

1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350º F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray (or place cupcake liners in the cups.)
2. Sift flour, matcha, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then stream in the butter.
4. While mixing, add half the matcha mixture. Then add the milk, mix slightly, then add the rest of the matcha mixture, being careful not to overmix.
5. Divide evenly in prepared tins and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling wrack and let cool completely.
6. Make the frosting: With an electric mixer, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, adding the final half cup if the frosting doesn’t seem sturdy enough. Add vanilla extract and whip to combine. Let frosting cool to room temperature on the counter.
7. Make the topping: Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave on 30-second intervals, stopping to stir after each heating session. When oil and chocolate are mostly melted, stir until smooth and shiny.
8. Put it all together: Use a small, sharp knife to cut a core in the cupcakes. Fill each core with (about 1/2-1 teaspoon) raspberry jam.
9. Place about half the softened frosting in a piping bag (or make your own using a large ziplock bag with the corner snipped off.) Pipe a hefty mound of frosting onto each cupcake.
10. Freeze cupcakes for about 20 minutes (or until the frosting is firm to touch.)
11. Place melted chocolate mixture in a deep liquid measuring cup or bowl and dunk the frozen cupcakes in until the frosting is covered. Keep cupcakes upside-down for a few seconds to let excess chocolate drip off.
12. Decorate with a dusting of matcha if desired. Place cupcakes in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to set. Serve immediately, or keep in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Information

Category

Desserts, Cupcakes

Yield

About 12 cupcakes

POPSUGAR Food