It has been a while since I’ve written a blog post, and it’s because I’ve been working on a new series called Baking Basics, where I break down some super crucial, yet often overlooked tips when it comes to baking. The first five episodes are all about baking the perfect cake, and the sixth episode is all about American buttercream. Since I miss writing, and developing recipes, I came up with this in-depth video that is ALL about American buttercream! I also included a simple matcha cupcake with green tea flavoured American Buttercream recipe, because matcha makes everything better.
If you are unsure of what American buttercream is, it’s the simplest, most common type of buttercream available in grocery stores, bakeries, etc. It’s very popular due to the fact that it’s mainly comprised of icing sugar, and contains a smaller amount of butter, than a buttercream like Italian meringue or Swiss meringue buttercream. It also doesn’t require egg whites, making it easier to make — as well as a little cheaper.
Although I do prefer Italian meringue buttercream over all other buttercreams, I believe the American buttercream is perfect for beginner bakers, and delicious if flavoured correctly! The problem with American buttercream is that it can be too sweet since it’s mostly made up of icing sugar. This also makes it very sensitive to moisture and heat, so flavouring the icing with syrups or jams can be difficult due to the fact that it would make the buttercream sweeter, while also needing more icing sugar to stiffen up the texture. Therefore, the best kinds of flavourings for American buttercreams are ingredients that don’t add extra sweetness, and contain the least bit of moisture possible. Things like cocoa powder, matcha powder, lemon extract, and coffee extract, are all perfect. This is what lead me to create this super simple and delicious matcha cupcake.
Here is the recipe
** Please note that I’ve doubled the amount of matcha that goes into this recipe for a stronger matcha flavour! Enjoy!
Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes
Note: this makes 6 large cupcakes
Ingredients
110g (1/2 cup) flour
125g (1/2 cup) sugar
4g (1 tsp) baking powder
5g (1-1/2 tbsp) matcha powder
1g (1/4 tsp) salt
80g (1/3 cup) milk
72g (1/3 cup) oil, canola or coconut
5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
1 egg
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, matcha powder, salt).
- In a smaller bowl or a measuring cup, whisk together the wet ingredients, the milk, oil, vanilla, and egg.
- Pour into the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk from the centre out to avoid lumps, just until fully combined. Be careful not to over-mix!
- Scoop into the cupcake tins and bake for 20 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Note: this makes enough for 6 large cupcakes. Ingredients 90g (1/3 cup) soft butter A pinch of black and white sesame seeds to garnish (optional) Method
Matcha Green Tea Buttercream
180g (1-1/2 cup) icing sugar
5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
1g (1 tsp) matcha powder
Feel free to watch episode six of Baking Basics (Everything You Need to Know About American Buttercream) below. Enjoy!!
ally bakes 
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