When I got to travel to Japan just after my senior year of university I was more than a bit excited to find anything and everything matcha-flavored at the corner convenience stores. Matcha is one of those love or strongly-dislike flavors that is at once earthy and light, teasingly sweet but also pleasantly savory. If you love it, then of course Japan is the place to be to indulge in both the best straight matcha you can find, and explore a whole new world of culinary delights like matcha pudding cups or matcha pastries or matcha milk bread (the latter two I definitely could not partake in but at least watching friends delight in glutinous matcha treats inspired me to bake my own!). The trip itself was a two-week Stanford Taiko tour starting in Tokyo and bussing up and around through Yokohama, Kanazawa, Kamakura, Haneda and Hakone, the Noto and Niigata Peninsulas, and Sado Island.
For those of you new to taiko, check it out! Technically, it’s kumidaiko (ensemble drumming) on taiko (drum in Japanese), and builds on a centuries-long tradition of solo drumming for various military/religious/ceremonial purposes, but was brought to life by a Japanese jazz musician in the 1950s and spread to the US in the 60s. There are hundreds of taiko groups worldwide now (even a small group in Santiago, Chile, who I got to play with and share songs with when I studied abroad there). If you’re looking for some great taiko videos, check out Kodo (the live-in professional group on Sado Island), Tao in Japan, Kagemusha in the UK, San Jose Taiko, San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Denver Taiko, Maui Taiko, Kinnara Taiko in LA, LATI (Las Angeles Taiko Institute), On Ensemble in California, and so many others! And, of course, Stanford Taiko! One of the many collegiate groups in the US. We were lucky enough to tour each summer, either domestically or internationally, and in 2015 Japan was the destination of choice. This tour was, unlike most others, strictly a learning tour (we usually performed every day or twice a day while on tour), and after a week plus of intensive taiko workshops with some of the best of the best in Japan, we definitely could have used a few tons of matcha treats to keep our energy up.
Back to the subject – matcha! Last note on great matcha treats in Japan: Obama-cha ice cream in Kamakura. You guessed it, Obama actually traveled to Kamakura with his mother as a child, and shared the story while on trips to Japan in 2009 and 2010. When we visited, the 758-year-old giant bronze Buddha that Kamakura is known for was exciting, but our attention was diverted pretty quickly by the so-called “Obama-cha” matcha ice cream sold just down the road. Apparently, kid Obama had had similar priorities, as he confessed that he was much more fond of the ice cream than the sites. His story now sticks in Kamakura with the re-naming of matcha ice cream to Obama-cha. I’ll take that flavor any day over anything orange.
So, if you’re a matcha fan, or an Obama-cha fan, these fluffy, creamy matcha cupcakes are right up your alley. I wanted to get a bit of the matcha-latte feel to these, similar to the matcha tres leches cake that I created on a whim (thank goodness), so some of the cream/evaporated milk/matcha soak from that cake is used on the cupcakes. They’re easy and not too sweet, and the perfect treat for a rainy spring week. Check out our other match treats like the match pound cake!
Gluten Free Matcha Latte Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake pans
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 3/4 Cup canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Cup milk
- 2 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if the mix doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 a teaspoon)
- 1/2 Cup almond flour
- 2 Tbsp matcha powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the tres leches soak:
- 1/2 Cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 Cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp matcha powder
For the stabilized whipped cream:
- 3 Cups heavy cream
- 3 tsp powdered plain gelatin
- 12 tsp cold water
- 2/3 Cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp matcha powder for dusting/decorating
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two cupcake trays with paper liners then set aside. Make the cupcakes. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil until lighter and fluffy. Add in the vanilla, matcha powder, and milk and beat until combined. Add the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until combined (do not over mix). Pour batter into the prepared cupcake pans (each cup should be 2/3-3/4 full). Baking for 17-19 minutes (do not over bake or cupcakes will be dry). Let cupcakes cool before adding soak and whipped cream.
- Make the soak. This will essentially be a liquid filling in each cupcake. Mix together all of the soak ingredients, whisking together vigorously (the matcha will still be clumpy, don't worry, leave it like that!). Then make the whipped cream.
- In a small saucepan, combine the cold water and gelatin and mix until it starts to thicken. Once thick, begin heating the mixture on low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, turn off heat and pour into a heat proof cup to cool.
- Then, in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream and the powdered sugar until thicker and fluffy (not stiff peaks yet) – this will take a few minutes. Once thicker, and once the gelatin mixture has cooled (but not set), pour in the gelatin slowly while beating on low. Add in the vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Scoop stiff whipped cream into a piping bag and set aside.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, use a paring knife to cut a 1×1 (and 1 inch deep) cube out of each cupcake and spoon 1 tsp of the soak mixture into each hole, then plate the 1×1 inch chunk back on top and press down lightly (you'll cover it all up with whipped cream so these don't have to be seamless!). Once each cupcake has been filled, pipe on the stabilized whipped cream and then use the extra matcha powder to dust on top. Then serve!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cupcakes!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
