Matcha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
3 min. read
Matcha Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
Heyy guys,
So about a month ago you might’ve seen some stories on my Instagram about the recipe mentioned above. It’s been a few years since I’ve baked anything really… I actually love baking more than cooking but I don’t do it very often because I hate the huge mess that it leaves after haha. I have killer recipe for lemon bars that my family always requests for me to make every year, but it just never happens haha. Just a fair warning that If you’re not a matcha fan, then this post is probably not for you :P
Using the Teangle Matcha powder
So, why bake this time? I received some matcha powder in the mail as a collaboration with Teangle Matcha. I received the "matcha for baking" & the "matcha ginger" flavor. It also came with a small metal spoon for measuring purposes. Disclaimer: these products were gifted to me but I’m not paid in any way for this blog post - I just wanted to share my experience with you guys (:
For this recipe, I used the matcha for baking & it actually turned out amazing. I’ll have the link to the recipe right here as the instructions for the recipe if ever any of you want to try it for yourself (which you should, again, they are MATCHA cupcakes with MATCHA CREAM CHEESE frosting). I used the exact measurements as in the recipe, except I used 3/4 cups of icing sugar because the cream cheese frosting would’ve turned out too sweet. I also didn't have any greek yogurt at home so I substituted it with sour cream.
It was a really easy recipe that yielded exactly the amount it said (12 cupcakes) it would. I do recommend using the “matcha for baking” powder because the cupcakes didn’t end up tasting too bitter - you can for sure taste the matcha in both the cupcake and the frosting, but it’s not the same bitter/fishy taste you get if you were to make yourself a matcha latte. Well, everything is obviously better when you add sugar, right? Hahaha.
The Verdict about Teangle
Would I use the matcha powder again? Definitely! In fact, my sister is even used it to make some matcha custard cake for our family Thanksgiving dinner (which I did not taste, because I'm currently in Europe). I still have yet to try the matcha ginger powder so I’ll let you guys know how that goes on my instagram stories, so be sure to follow me at @katrinatioseco (yup, shameless plug muahaha) for updates!
Let me know if there are any recipes you want me to try out . Really down to doing baking challenges too because they seem so fun, but that would be better documented in video form (coming soon? Perhaaaps)
Anyway, until next post, fam! Xoxo
Hi, there!
My name is Katrina Tioseco & I’m a self-made social media marketer with a degree in interior design.
Among the many things I’m passionate about, I also love eating (although I don’t cook very often haha), travelling, coffee crawling, taking photos & clever puns.
Montreal's First All Natural Beauty Salon
3 min. read
Montreal's First All Natural Beauty Salon
Heyyy, beautiful human!
As I have mentioned over the weekend, I was invited to try out V & O Salon to get a gel manicure done - right on time before my 3-week trip too! FYI, V & O stands for "Vegan & Organic" and, as you read from this post's title, it's the first salon in Montreal that I know of to use 100% natural products. V & O Salon opened its door to the St-Henri community in mid-March 2017. They also offer pedicures, body sugaring & facials but I'll be mostly talking about my mani experience.
I Can’t Do My Own Nails…
Ok, so I feel like it's also important to mention why I get my nails done in the first place. First of all, I'm way too impatient to wait for nail polish to dry because ya girl's got things to do & places to be haha. Because of my impatience, I always end up ruining the fresh coat & having to restart the whole process once over... NOT FUN.
Second of all, I'm always coffee crawling, meaning that I always take pictures of my coffee for the 'gram & they've gotta look on fleek haha. Therefore, I'm saving myself hours of frustration by just getting my nails done once a month - my manis tend to last about 3 weeks if I take good care of them.
What Some Nail Salons Don't Tell You
One thing I really appreciated about V & O Salon was that they are super open to educating you about their products & tips on what NOT to do when it comes to nail care.
A lot of the salons I had tried were Vietnamese, so there was sometimes a language barrier between the nail technician & I. Once you sit at their chair, you choose your nail polish color & shape, & then they get to it with no questions asked. So, for about 2 years the nail techs would cut my cuticles & I thought that was just part of the nail care routine. It turns out that cutting the cuticles makes them grow thicker & dryer which some salons are hoping that it happens so you can come back for them to "fix" it.
So, protip I learned from V & O: if you notice that the nail tech is about to cut your cuticles, ask them to just push them back instead & cut whatever hanging skin is around your nails (ok, a little TMI sorry haha).
But Why Choose a Vegan & Organic Beauty Salon?
Now, why would you switch from your usual beauty salon to an all natural one? If you think long term, the latter is the least harmful option - I mean, among the many cancerous things we ingest (we're all guilty of that, I love me some junk food on some occasions) we can at least control what goes on our body. About 70% of my skincare products are organic which is why V & O was a great option for me to explore.
Also, all of their products are non-toxic, chemical-free & not tested on animals. Yes, ALL of it - so we're talking: gel manis (they use the brand Madam Glam), pedis, scrubs, facial & sugaring (which is solely made of sugar - duh haha, H2O & lemon, aka things you can find in your own pantry).
What's also cool about V & O is that everything is sterile & clean (as it should be) but here's the kicker: whatever tools that can't be sterilized (like the nail file & buffer), they keep it in a pouch under your name for the next time you come back. In doing so, that ensures no contamination because they were tools that only you used & it's less wasteful. Talk about a clean salon in every way haha (;
V & O Salon, Yay or Nay?
The verdict: YAY. I mean, I might be somewhat biased because my friend works there (& did a great job on my nails) haha but after meeting the owner & the rest of the staff, I can still vouch for how great the salon is. They even have 4 dedicated private rooms for each type of service, which is an added privacy bonus.
A part of the wonderful team, including the salon owner Pascale in the middle (:
This nail color is called “Merlot” (I’m Fall ready with this color yayyyy)
Well, that's all I have to say, folks! Feel free to leave a comment down below if you have any other questions about the salon.
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the LAST week of September & until next post, fam! xoxo
Hi, there!
My name is Katrina Tioseco & I’m a self-made social media marketer with a degree in interior design.
Among the many things I’m passionate about, I also love eating (although I don’t cook very often haha), travelling, coffee crawling, taking photos & clever puns.
3 min. read