Conversation with (almost) vegan green tea cupcakes

 

 [Green Tea Cupcakes with Green Tea Glaze from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World]

Dear (almost) vegan green tea cupcakes I just made,

As your maker, I'm going to be the first one to admit that I didn't really do you justice. When I checked up on you after 20 minutes and saw how gorgeously green and puffy you were, I thought "Sweet! These are gonna look great!" 

But after I took you out of the oven, you sunk on me. Right in the middle. How could you do that? Were you punishing me for not doing the toothpick test? Were you upset that you weren't purely vegan cupcakes because I substituted soy yogurt with cow yogurt? I guess I wasn't the best supporter, I mean, I did keep yelling "Stop sinking you a**hole!" which probably wasn't the most constructive thing I could have done to help you reach your fullest potential. I just pushed you too far and too fast. I'm sorry.

And let's face it, as a result of my impatience, you're kinda ugly. There's this little pool in which the glaze just sort of sits and sloshes over the sides, and even though I know it's sugar, margarine, and matcha powder, it just kinda looks like...slime. No one wants to eat slime. Not even if it's on a cupcake.

It's a good thing you taste incredible (not greasy, just the right amount of sweetness,) and that your glaze, even though it kinda looks like slime is so good you just want to eat it straight out of the bowl. Otherwise, I would disown you. 

The boy and I look forward to consuming all 12 of you. 

xoxo

Mo

Green Tea Cupcakes with Green Tea Glaze

Makes 12 cupcakes

From the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

1/2 cup soy yogurt (I used regular plain yogurt)

2/3 cup rice milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3 to 4 tsps matcha tea powder (I used 4 and got my matcha at Mitsuwa but I also saw it at Whole Foods)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with liners.

2. Whisk together yogurt, milk, vanilla, oil, and almond extract, beating well to blend yogurt. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Beat to break up lumps. Fill liners two thirds of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes (or insert a toothpick into one and see if it comes out clean) and cool on racks before spreading glaze on top. 

Green Tea Glaze (a.k.a. YUM)

2 tbs magarine

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/8 to 1/4 tsp matcha powder (I used a 1/4)

1 to 2 tbs rice milk

1/4 tsp almond extract

Drop of vanilla extract

With a fork, beat margarine to fluff, then mix sugar and matcha to form a crumbly mixture. Slowly beat in milk, almond, and vanilla extract. Generously dollop on top of cooled cupcakes and enjoy!