Green Tea Cupcakes: Gluten & Dairy Free

Last semester in my food science lab, we had to come up with a functional food. A functional food is modified to improve health by providing benefits beyond the traditional nutrients. We had to choose a food that improved either Arthritis or Heart Disease. I decided to do my project over Arthritis and chose green tea, which contains the polyphenol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG for short. We also had to find scientific articles related to the polyphenol providing evidence of having health benefits, I was able to obtain two articles related to EGCG helping arthritis (*Do not rely on the benefits of green tea to cure Arthritis*).

When I had done my project for class, I looked at other recipes for green tea cupcakes and many of them said to use 3 or 5 tablespoons of matcha powder. Well, my cupcakes turned out VERY strong. I knew they would have turned out better if I hadn’t added so much matcha powder, so I planned on making them again sometime, at home.

I was able to make them today and they turned out a whole lot better than they did in lab! So I thought I’d share them with you all!

Let’s get to baking!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 box mix of Aldi’s Live G-Free Yellow Cake Mix (as prepared on box)
  • We used grapeseed oil and Aldi lactose free milk (coconut milk would work)
• 1 tablespoon of matcha powder
  • I found this online from Amazon, the brand is “Jade Leaf Matcha” and is certified organic and is gluten free

Directions:

Cupcakes:

1. I prepared the Aldi Live G-Free Yellow Cake mix as it says on the box
2. Then I added 1 tablespoon of matcha powder
3. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 21 minutes (as on box, ovens will vary)

Ingredients:

Icing:

• Earth Balance Dairy Free/Soy Free butter
• Goat cheese (from Sam’s club)
• Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
• Water (very small amount, a few drops)

Directions:

1. In mixer on low, add 2 tablespoons of butter, 2/3 cup of goat cheese, a few drops of water. Mix until smooth (this will be thin)
2. Slowly add enough powdered sugar with mixer still on low until desired consistency (if spreading on cupcakes, a little less powdered sugar may be needed to make easier to spread, if pipping out of a bag, more will be needed)

 

Ready to frost and ready to eat!

Have you baked green tea cupcakes before? I’d love to hear how they turned out!

Ciara