More Matcha! Green Tea Madeleines

Is it weird that I plan on naming my firstborn Madeleine? My affection for the name came from the Parisian cartoon "Madeline" well before I ever tasted the little love cakes. But it is quite ironic that I would name my child after a food item... or maybe not so ironic, since I've considered such names as Taco and Cookie. Though, I was a kid, and my judgment of normalcy was a bit askew back then, as evident by my childhood passion to become a princess when I "grow up". I'm all "grown up" now and that passion has morphed into a more realistic vision, but whatever, here's some matcha green tea madeleines! It's still March, and this is a sort of belated St. Patrick's Day dessert thing or other. You'll like it. Trust me.

Matcha Green Tea Madeleines

makes 32-36

120g butter, melted and cooled

120g cake flour

130g sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

2 teaspoons matcha green tea, (amount varies depending upon quality of matcha)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Butter madeleine pan, dust with flour, and keep pan in freezer.

2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and matcha; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute, then add sugar and beat until mixture is thick and pale, about 5-8 minutes. Add vanilla bean paste and beat for an additional minute. Scrape down sides. Add flour mixture into egg mixture and beat just until incorporated. With mixer on low, slowly add the butter, beat until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 3 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove madeleine pan from freezer and fill indentations with roughly a teaspoon of batter. Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until puffed and golden around edges. Remove pan from oven, cool on wire rack for a minute, then invert pan onto a rack to cool madeleines.

Recipe adapted from bossacafez.blogspot.com

*There are variations on how to achieve the "hump" on your madeleines. The quality of your madeleine pan effects the outcome just as the temperature and mixing time can, so if your madeleines don't bake with that perfect "hump", try again! They can be finicky.

Vanilla Bean and Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes

It's March Matcha Green Tea Madness Month. Or Madness March Matcha Month. Or was it Matcha March Madness Month? Delete Delete Delete. Ok...

This month I'm working with Matcha. Refreshing and light, matcha refers to finely-milled powdered green tea. It dissolves easily and is becoming remarkably popular for its use in baked treats.

Last week I churned up some matcha green tea ice cream, and this week I whipped up the most amazing, and I mean "like seriously!" amazing matcha green tea buttercream. I wasn't modest with my use of matcha, even though it's $12 a friggin' ounce, or something mind-numbingly expensive like that. But holy hell on a popsicle stick was it good! I baked a couple dozen vanilla bean cupcakes, piped the buttercream, and sprinkled on a bit of matcha. Simply irresistible! Oh Robert Palmer, you would be so proud... except, I don't have sexy, leggy women dancing in unison behind me while I bake my cupcakes.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

To make the Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, use your basic vanilla cupcake recipe and substitute the pure vanilla extract for equal parts vanilla bean paste, such as Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste. You can also split and scrape the inside of a vanilla bean and add that to the cupcake batter if you have one on hand. I use a basic sour cream vanilla cupcake recipe and doctor that up.

Matcha Green Tea Buttercream

frosts 24-30 cupcakes

2 sticks - 8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1 package - 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese

3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

2-5 tablespoons matcha green tea, add to taste (Strength of matcha varies upon grade)

1-2 tablespoons whipping cream

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese until combined.

2. Add sifted confectioners sugar and matcha to butter mixture, beat on low until combined, about 1 minute. Add more matcha to taste, then beat on medium-high for another minute.

3. Scrape down sides of bowl, add whipping cream as needed to smooth frosting and beat on medium-high until fluffy, about two minutes. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with a pinch matcha and keep refrigerated.