Plant-Based Matcha Cupcakes, Frosting Included

At a table of individual cakes, cupcakes have one advantage: everyone gets their own, with a layer of frosting on top. Here, both the matcha cake and its topping are plant-based. If you don't want frosting, other small matcha cakes include recipes to serve as they are.

Allow about 5 tsp (10 g) matcha for twelve cupcakes and 1 hour 15 minutes, including cooling. Wait until the cakes are cold before frosting them.

• Preparation 25 minutes
• Baking 20 minutes
• Cooling 30 minutes
• Total time 1 hour 15 minutes
• Makes 12 individual cupcakes
• Tools a twelve-cup muffin pan, twelve paper liners, two bowls, a sieve, a whisk, a spatula, an electric mixer, a rack, a spoon, and an oven

Frosting holds on a cold cake; it softens on a crumb that's still warm. We sell Essence, the cooking matcha we choose for this sweet, baked batter. Without frosting, these cupcakes are closer to small cakes you can serve plain.

Plant-based matcha cupcake ingredients

• 6.3 oz (180 g) wheat flour
• About 5 tsp (10 g) matcha
• About 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
• 3.5 oz (100 g) sugar
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) plain soy drink
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) sunflower oil
• 3.5 oz (100 g) firm plant-based margarine, at room temperature and with no animal ingredients, for the frosting
• 2.8 oz (80 g) powdered sugar for the frosting

How to make matcha cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) without convection.
2. Place twelve paper liners in the pan.
3. Sift 6.3 oz (180 g) flour, about 5 tsp (10 g) matcha, and about 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder into a bowl.
4. Whisk 3/4 cup (180 ml) soy drink with 3.5 oz (100 g) sugar in a second bowl.
5. Whisk in 1/3 cup (80 ml) sunflower oil.
6. Pour the dry ingredients over the liquid mixture.
7. Mix with a spatula until no dry flour remains.
8. Divide the batter evenly among the twelve liners.
9. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F (175°C), until a skewer comes out without raw batter.
10. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
11. Transfer them to a rack.
12. Let them cool for another 20 minutes.
13. Beat 3.5 oz (100 g) firm plant-based margarine with 2.8 oz (80 g) powdered sugar using an electric mixer, until the frosting is soft and spreadable.
14. Spread the frosting over the twelve cold cakes with a spoon.

Divide the batter evenly among the liners so the twelve cakes bake more uniformly. If one center remains damp, bake it a little longer at a time. Before frosting, make the final check with your fingertips on a fully cooled top.

How can you top matcha and chocolate cupcakes?

For matcha and chocolate cupcakes, scatter 1.4 oz (40 g) grated dark chocolate over the twelve frosted cakes. Check its ingredients if you want to keep them plant-based. We prefer shavings to a warm chocolate sauce, which would melt the frosting.

Which matcha belongs in plant-based cupcakes?

For these oven-baked cupcakes, we choose Essence matcha powder. Save your matcha for drinking with water. Mix about 5 tsp (10 g) of sifted matcha with the flour to prevent little pockets of green powder in the crumb.

Our tip. Make the frosting toward the end of the cooling time, then touch the top of a cake before spreading it. It should feel cold.

Allergens. Wheat (gluten) and soy. Check the ingredients of the plant-based margarine you choose.