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https://fuckingdelicious.co/recipes/trader-joes-matcha-cupcakes
Desserts
Trader Joe's Matcha Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
Trader Joe's put a matcha cupcake recipe on their website. They used buttercream. We're using matcha cream cheese frosting instead because the tang of cream cheese against earthy matcha is the kind of flavor pairing that makes pastry chefs nod slowly in approval. You're using a box of cake mix and adding green powder to it. There's no skill involved. The cupcakes are soft and fluffy because the cake mix was engineered by food scientists to be soft and fluffy. Your contribution was adding 4 packets of matcha and 2 eggs. The frosting is where the real flex is: cream cheese whipped with butter, powdered sugar, matcha, and vanilla until it's thick enough to pipe. Green on green on green. Bring these to any office/party/gathering and people will look at you like you have a secret life they didn't know about. Your secret is a box of cake mix and a hand mixer. Take that to your grave.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CUPCAKES:
- 1 box Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake Mix
- 1 cup cold milk (Trader Joe's oat milk or whole milk)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) Trader Joe's salted butter, melted
- 4 packets Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea (single-serve)
- FOR THE FROSTING:
- 8 oz Trader Joe's cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (half stick) Trader Joe's salted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 packets Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea (single-serve)
- 1 teaspoon Trader Joe's vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons milk (to thin if needed)
Instructions
- 1
Make the cupcake batter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and 4 matcha packets. Whisk to distribute the matcha evenly through the dry mix. Add the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Mix until smooth and green. The batter should be a vibrant jade.
- 2
Bake the cupcakes
Fill each liner about 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake. Nobody likes a dry cupcake. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They must be fully cool before frosting or the frosting will slide off like it's trying to escape.
- 3
Make the matcha cream cheese frosting
Beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar in batches, beating between each one so it doesn't explode out of the bowl like a powdered sugar grenade. Add the 2 matcha packets and vanilla. Beat until fluffy and uniformly green and there are zero matcha clumps. If it's too thick, add a teaspoon of milk. It should hold its shape but not feel like spackle.
- 4
Frost and serve
Pipe or spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Use a piping bag with a large star tip if you want bakery-looking swirls. Or just use a knife and spread it on like a human being. Dust the tops with a light shake of extra matcha powder through a sieve. The finished cupcakes should be green on green on green.
Baker's Notes
- The cream cheese must be softened to room temperature. Hard cream cheese makes lumpy frosting and lumpy frosting makes sad cupcakes. Set it out an hour before you start.
- 4 packets of matcha in the batter is the right amount. TJ's own recipe uses 4 in the batter and 2 in the frosting. Trust the ratio.
- These cupcakes are best eaten same day. The frosting is cream cheese based so they need to be refrigerated if you're keeping them overnight. Bring them to room temperature for 15 minutes before eating for the best texture.
- Want to go absolutely nuclear? Core the cupcakes with a paring knife, fill with melted TJ's white chocolate mixed with a splash of cream, replace the top, frost over it. Nobody will know until they bite in and get a white chocolate lava flow. This is how you become someone's favorite person.
Nutrition
Calories
310
Fat
16g
Carbs
38g
Protein
4g
Sugar
28g
Serving
1 cupcake
Notes
FAQ
Can I make these without the cake mix?
The frosting is too sweet, what do I do?
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