Servings: 12 cupcakes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Assemble time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
Hojicha cake
● 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
● 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
● 1⁄4 cup +2 tbsp vegetable oil (6 tbsp)
● 1 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour or cake flour
● 1⁄2 cup granulated white sugar
● 1⁄2 tbsp baking powder
● 1⁄2 tsp salt
● 1 1⁄2 tbsp Whisk Hojicha Powder
Matcha whipped meringue buttercream
● 1 cup unsalted vegan butter, softened to room temperature
● 2 tbsp coconut cream, room temperature
● 1 cup icing sugar
● 4 tbsp Whisk Y1 Matcha powder
● 4 tbsp aquafaba, room temperature
Decorations
● Rainbow sprinkles
● Star-shaped sprinkles
● Icing sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350oF and line one 3x4 muffin pan with 12 paper cups.
2. Make the hojicha cake: mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to curdle.
3. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and hojicha powder into a large
mixing bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar and make a well in the middle.
4. Pour curdled milk and vegetable oil into the dry well and mix with a rubber spatula until there are no traces of dry flour; don’t overmix the batter.
5. Divide the batter amongst the 12 muffin cups and bake on the middle rack for 20-25 mins. Cool in the pan for 5 mins before transferring to cooling rack to cool
completely before frosting.
6. Make the matcha whipped meringue buttercream: sift together the icing sugar and matcha powder in a separate bowl.
7. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and
coconut cream on high for about 3 minutes.
8. Gradually add the icing sugar and matcha mix while beating on low. Resume speed to med-high and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
9. Add the aquafaba and beat on med-high until the buttercream is nearly doubled in volume.
10. Assemble the cupcakes: fill a piping bag with buttercream and pipe a swirl to
resemble a Christmas tree. Dust some icing sugar on top to mimic snow. Sprinkle on rainbow sprinkles for the colourful lights, or individually place sprinkles on the tree.
Lastly, top each tree with a star-shaped sprinkle!
Notes:
- The hojicha cupcakes can be made in advance and frozen in a sealed bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge before bringing to room temperature.
- The matcha meringue buttercream can be made in advance and stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes), give the buttercream a mix, then frost the cupcakes.
- Store decorated cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.