Unicorn Matcha Cupcakes: Recipe

RECIPES | These Unicorn Matcha cupcakes are absolutely adorable. They will delight the young and the young at heart because everyone needs a little magic in their lives.

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Preparation Time: 40 minutes / Cooking Time: 18-20 minutes / Makes: 12

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Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 170g unsalted butter, softened
• 300g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, approximately 56g each
• 1 egg yolk
• pinch of salt
• 10g matcha powder
• 150ml full cream milk
• 300g plain flour
• 7g baking powder

Horns and ears:

• bronze or gold edible glitter
• 250g white modelling paste
• 12 toothpicks

Buttercream:

• Pink, blue and purple food colouring
• 200g icing sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 20ml milk

Method – Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C fan forced.
2. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk with an electric beater until it becomes light and pale.
3. Add the two eggs, egg yolk and salt to the butter and mix well.
4. Add the milk to the bowl and whisk until an even consistency is achieved.
5. In a separate bowl, sieve together your dry ingredients – matcha powder, salt, plain flour and baking soda.
6. Transfer your wet ingredients (butter/milk mixture) to the bowl containing your dry ingredients and mix well until it is all incorporated.
7. Place twelve cupcake liners into a cupcake tray.
8. Evenly divide the mixture between the liners and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Place on a cooling rack and allow the cupcakes to completely cool before you start decorating.

Method – Horn and Ears

1. While the cupcakes are cooling, form 24 balls of modelling paste that are approximately the size of 5 cent coin.
2. Divide 12 of these balls in half for the ears and keep the other 12 balls aside to form the horns.
3. To make the horns roll the 12 larger balls into cylinders that are about 5cm in length.
4. Bring the two ends of your cylinder together so you form a teardrop shape.
5. Carefully hold the two ends of the cylinder together and twist the bottom part until the entire length is combined to form a horn.
6. Place a toothpick in the base (thicker end) of the horn and repeat with the remaining larger balls. Set this aside for later
7. To form the ears place one of the small balls in the palm of your hand. Using your little finger press down one side of the ball to form a mild teardrop shape.
8. Push the two sides together at the tip of the teardrop (side that you pushed down).
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until you have formed 24 ears.
10. Using your gold/bronze glitter dust paint all the horns and the centers of the ears.

Method – Buttercream Icing

1. To make the buttercream icing, beat 125g of butter with an electric beater until it becomes pale.
2. Slowly add the icing sugar and milk to the butter, beating constantly until combined.
3. Divide the buttercream into four bowls, and add two drops of pink food colouring to the first bowl, two drops of blue food colouring to the second bowl and two drops of purple food colouring to the third bowl.
4. Mix each of the bowls well until you have reached a uniform colour.
5. Transfer the contents of each bowl into a separate piping bag with a star nozzle.

Method – Putting It All Together

1. Place one horn in the center of a cupcake with an ear on either side of the horn.
2. Repeat on all cupcakes.
3. With your first buttercream colour, random pipe dots of icing on the top of the cupcake. Ensuring you leave space for the other colours.
4. Repeat step 3 with each coloured buttercream until the entire surface is covered.

Notes

To achieved a stronger gold/bronze colour with the food glitter, use a drop of vodka or almond essence to turn it into a paste. Don’t worry about the alcohol it will evaporate.

For safety, remind anyone eating these cupcakes that there is a toothpick in the middle of the horn.