Product Review Matcha Green Tea Powder and Matcha Chocolate Cake in a Cup Recipe

Have you heard about Matcha Green Tea Powder?


You may have seen it all over Pinterest around St Patrick's Day, when everybody was using it to turn their baked goods green!


I had, but had never given it a try. So I was thrilled to be sent some Mocafe Matcha Green Tea sample packets to try!

Mocafe Matcha Green Tea Powder is finely milled or fine powder green tea. made from shade-grown tea leaves. What does that mean? "Several weeks before a normal harvest, the tea bushes are covered keep sunlight from hitting the bushes. This slows down growth, turning the leaves a darker shade of green and causing the production of amino acids. Only the finest tea buds are then hand picked. Their leaves are laid out flat to dry, so they will crumble and become Tencha. The Tencha is then be de-veined, de-stemmed, and stone ground to the fine, bright green, green powder, called matcha." (thanks Wikipedia)

You can use this powder as a substitute flavoring in shakes, granitas, iced tea, blended drinks and even for hot tea! Matcha is also said to boost metabolism and help reduce cholesterol levels when drank regularly, as whole leaf tea. But it was the cooking with it that really got me excited!

My first project was taking a basic muffin mix and adding the Matcha powder and dark chocolate chips to it. Let me tell you those were some rocking muffins! And yes, they were GREEN! They were the perfect breakfast treat and really gave you some great energy for the day! i'd share a picture, but unfortunately, I had not download it off my phone before the phone got crunched. OOPS. But for inquiring minds, I used about 4-5 tablespoons of the powder to get the color and density of taste that I wanted. Everybody at church loved them, once they got past the green color! The flavor is unique-the best way i can describe it is 'Orientish'- by that I mean hints if spice, with a strong tea flavor, yet it is smooth. But pairing it with the dark chocolate intensified both flavors, so I knew my next project would involve both too!

Enter the Matcha Green Tea Powder Dark Chocolate Cake in a Cup!

(sorry for bad pix- was using Mom's cell phone!0

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use Scharffen Berger)
1 egg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoon Matcha Green Tea Powder
Dash of vanilla and salt 

Instructions:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a large cocoa or coffee mug until smooth. 

2. Microwave the cake on high until puffed, about 2 minutes (mine took about 30 seconds longer), watching carefully as microwaves can vary in strength. 

3. Scoop cake onto a plate or in a bowl and serve immediately with a scoop of ice cream, if desired, and drizzle chocolate syrup or hot fudge sauce on top. 

WHY not eat out of the cup? One word HOT!!! I think i got 2nd degree burns on my tongue, from my first bite, LOL! But OH the smell, dark chocolate heaven! The Matcha came through more subtly on this recipe, but it was heaven, and good for you too!

I also tried the green tea powder as a frappe, with some milk, espresso and ice. YUMMY!!!

You can see more recipes on the Mocafe website too! I wish we had a local coffee shop, so I could recommend the powder, and be able to get a frappe on the go. We have one being built, but it's not slated to open til next year. Bummer!


Thanks to 5 Minutes for Mom for the chance to try this great product! I will definitely be buying it in the future! If you've been hesitant, trust me- you'll love it and once you try it, you'll be thinking of all sorts of recipes to try it in! 




Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received these samples, free of charge, from Mocafe via 5 Minutes for Mom, for review purposes on this blog. I received an entry into a giveaway contest for bloggers for Blendec blender. No other compensation, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it