Earl Grey Cupcakes

I stumbled across this recipe with my partner Matt and he wouldn't leave me alone until I made them, and am I glad that he was persistent. This cupcake is so delicious and has so many flavors packed into every bite, its defiantly a new favorite.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of 2% milk at room temperature
4 Earl Grey teabags
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons self rising flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and add the 4 Earl Grey teabags to the milk. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes squeeze the remaining milk from the teabags and discard.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take about 3-5 minutes. Add the almond extract and the eggs one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition.

Sift the two flours together into a separate bowl. Add one-third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in one-third of the infused milk and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and mil have been added.

Once you have done all of that you can carefully spoon your batter into the cups, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake in the over for about 23 minutes until they are slightly raised and golden brown. Use a toothpick to check if they are done.

Once out of the oven let them sit in the pan for about 10 minutes and then take them out to cool on a wire rack. Once completely cooled you can frost them with yummy buttercream frosting.


For the frosting:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup 2% milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl beat the butter, milk and vanilla extract, and half of the powered sugar until smooth. This can take several minutes. Gradually add the remainder of the powdered sugar and beat until the buttercream is smooth and creamy.

Once mixed, add two drops of red and two drops of blue food color to get a beautiful light lavender frosting to decorate your yummy treats with!

Tips:
Make sure that all items that call to be room temperature are. Also, even though you might want to open up the oven and look at the cupcakes while they are cooking DONT. Letting the cold air in even once can cause the cupcakes to not rise properly. Use the over light and look through the glass. :)


A big thanks goes out to Primrose bakery for this recipe and wonderful cupcake book that has inspired new recipes in my life.