Matcha Cake with Matcha Buttercream

I'm a matcha fiend and have been on the search for a go-to matcha cupcake recipe. I have tried most of the ones that popped up on my google search, and they were just so-so: dry, unflavorful, etc. Now I finally tried these, and THIS. IS. IT. So moist, fluffy, and full of matcha flavor! Now, they aren't very sweet (which is just fine with me), but they pair deliciously with the frosting, which is sweet.

I made these cupcakes expecting to delight my friends, but it was quite disappointing. I really did want to like this. It was moist, it was matcha, but it didn't taste fluffy and sweet like I'd expect from a cupcake. The hot water is not needed at all, the salt is way too much, and there's no need for both baking powder and baking soda. They tasted like matcha cornmeal without the graininess of cornmeal. I opted for all recipe's vanilla cake w/ the remaining matcha I had, and it was MUCH better. I recommend going there.