Chocolate and Matcha Hi Hat Cupcakes

Hello from my death bed. Okay, Kristina, stop being so dramatic. I’m not dying but I sure feel pretty close to death. Why didn’t I get a flu shot earlier??!! I don’t remember the last time I was ever this sick. This case of the flu has taken me out of commission for almost a week now. It’s really terrible timing because I had to cancel my appearance at the Pineapple Collaborative Product Launch Party last week, my dumpling workshop over the weekend, a holiday cookie decorating party! There’s more festive activities planned for this week and I’m really hoping that I bounce back soon so I can participate in a least a little bit of holiday cheer.

I’ll try to sound less like a Debbie Downer now, because these cute Chocolate and Matcha Hi Hat Cupcakes deserve a cheery introduction! Hi Hat cupcakes are essentially chocolate coated cupcakes. The chocolate on the frosting is the “hat”! These cupcakes are topped with match hinted meringue, pipped to look like Christmas trees and somewhat like the poop emoji, and then dipped in matcha white chocolate and topped with a few fun sprinkles! The textural contrast between fluffy cake, soft meringue, and crunch of the chocolate is so delightful! You also can’t help but feel the Christmas spirit when you look at them!

I will admit that these cupcakes are a little bit labor in intensive. You need to make cupcakes. You need to make meringue. You need to strike a balance between the temperatures of cold meringue and cooled but still workable melted chocolate, which can be a little tricky. But they are worth it in the end to see your friends and family ooh and ahh at the mini edible forest of Christmas trees!

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Chocolate and Matcha Hi Hat Cupcakes

makes 12 cupcakes

cupcakes

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup boiling water

meringue:

3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp Aiya Matcha Culinary Grade Matcha Powder

matcha white chocolate dip:

12 oz white chocolate chips
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp Aiya Matcha Culinary Grade Matcha Powder

sprinkles

to make cupcakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix to combine. Stir in boiling water and mix until smooth.

3. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners. Lift each pan about 3 inches from your work surface and drop a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 15-17 minutes until done. Test for doneness using the toothpick test. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the tin and allow to completely cool on a wire rack.

to make meringue:

1. Bring a pot filled with 3”-4” of water to a boil. Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of standmixer. Give it a quick mix with a handheld whisk. Set the bowl into the hot water and whisk the egg white and sugar mixture continually until the mixture reaches 160 degrees and starts to look thick and white.

2. Remove the bowl from the hot water and set on the standmixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Add matcha powder and mix again until incorporated.

3. Fill a pipping bag with meringue, either fitted with a closed star tip or round tip, and pipe mounds of meringue on each cupcake. Arrange the cupcakes on a tray and place in the freezer for 2 hours or overnight.

to decorate:

1. Melt white chocolate, coconut oil, and matcha powder in a heat safe bowl over a double boiler or in the microwave (melt in 15 second increments and mix in between). Allow the chocolate to cool.

2. Take the frozen cupcakes out of the freezer. Working very quickly, dip the meringue into the cooled chocolate and shake off any excess chocolate. If the chocolate is too hot it will melt the meringue, so make sure the chocolate has time to cool. If the chocolate is starting to harden again, microwave it for 10 seconds. While the chocolate is still wet, top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Thanks, Aiya Matcha, for sponsoring this post!