Green Tea Cupcakes with Mint Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, room temperature
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 c. milk, 1%
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. Matcha (green tea powder)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl, whisk the Matcha with the milk and vanilla and set aside. In an electric mixer, cream the butter at medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk Matcha mixture. Do not over mix, or the batter will get really gummy. Spoon the batter into the baking cups, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack fully before frosting.

Mint Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 c. butter, softened
16 oz. 1/3 fat free cream cheese, room temperature
6 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. mint extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Sift in the sugar and mix. add the mint extract and mix until everything is well combined. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. (This batch of frosting will frost a double batch of cupcakes. It makes a LOT!).