Matcha Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl whisk together the cake flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Whisk in the buttermilk.

Gradually add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Whisk in the milk.

Evenly divide the batter among 24 standard sized muffin tin wells that have been lined with cupcake liners. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let them cool. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before you begin to frost the them.

Make the buttercream. In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, whip the butter until light and fluffy, then gradually whisk in the sugar, about ½ cup at a time. Whisk in the matcha powder, then mix in about 1 tablespoon of milk. If it is a little too stiff, whip in the remaining milk.

Frost the cupcakes with a piping bag or spatula and spoon. To create the peaked top on the frosting, spoon/pipe a rounded mound of frosting in the center of the cupcake, then pat it with the back of a spoon to create a circle of frosting, then lift the spoon to create a peak.

Adapted from Magnolia Bakery and My Name is Yeh.