Tea and cake? How about tea in cake?
Now that you’re on holiday, why not treat yourself to a bit of a baking extravaganza?! Try something a little bit different with these tea-infused cupcake recipes…
Lavender & Earl Grey…Black Sesame & White Chocolate Matcha…Orange & Oolong…
Lavender cupcakes with Earl Grey buttercream
A combination of my favourite flavours! I am a big fan of flower scents, and I’m crazy enough to want to eat them! I’ve done rose cupcakes before, and am thinking of venturing into jasmine…
INGREDIENTS (makes 12–16 cupcakes)
For the cupcakes
Dried Lavender
1/4 cup olive oil
280 caster sugar
240 self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
200ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting(s)
180g unsalted butter
500g icing sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
30g earl grey tea powder
METHOD:
-Preheat oven to 170 degrees C
-Add 3 tsp of lavender into the milk and let it soak for 2 hours
-Mix the sugar and oil together
-In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and 3 tsp of lavender
-Whisk eggs into the milk, and add in the vanilla extract
-Add in the dry mixture and the milk-egg mixture into the butter-sugar mixture in batches, alternating each time
-Divide batter into cupcake cases and bake for 16–20 minutes, depending on your oven
-For the earl grey frosting filling, whisk the 90g of butter until light and fluffy. Add 250g icing sugar in sections until smooth. Add in the earl grey tea powder.
-Using a cupcake corer, core the inside of the cupcakes. Pipe the earl grey frosting into the holes.
-For the vanilla frosting, whisk the 90g of butter until light and fluffy. Add in 250g icing sugar in sections until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Frost on top.
Black sesame cupcakes with matcha & white chocolate buttercream
Black sesame with white chocolate matcha buttercream frosting! Warning: the matcha frosting was absolutely delicious so DO NOT EAT IT ALL BEFORE PIPING!
INGREDIENTS:
For the cupcakes:
1/4 + 2 tbsp cup olive oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g ground black sesame
For the frosting:
90g melted white chocolate
120g soft unsalted butter
270g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp whole milk
30g matcha powder
METHOD:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Mix the oil and sugar together.
-Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
-Mix in the vanilla extract.
-In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and ground black sesame.
-Add in the dry mixture and mix until batter will be thick.
-Place batter into cupcake cases and bake for 16 minutes.
-For the frosting, first melt the white chocolate.
-Whisk the butter until pale and fluffy. Add in the icing sugar until mixed thoroughly. Add in the vanilla extract and then add in the melted white chocolate.
-Finally, fold in the matcha powder & then pipe onto the cupcakes when they have cooled.
Oolong cupcakes with orange buttercream
Amanatsu oolong tea infused cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting. It is a Japanese orange hybrid and is known in Japanese as kawano natsu daidai (カワノナツダイダイ). They’re the size of grapefruits and are commonly used in marmalade.
INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
Lupicia amanatsu oolong tea leaves/ oolong tea leaves
80g unsalted butter
280 caster sugar
240 plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
200ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting
180g unsalted butter
500g icing sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp orange extract
METHOD:
-Preheat oven to 170 degrees C
-Melt butter in a saucepan. When butter is completely melted, remove pan from heat and infuse 5 tsp of tea leaves in it for 3 minutes
-After three minutes, strain the butter to separate it from the tea leaves. Gently press the butter out of the tea leaves
-Mix the sugar and melted butter together
-In another bowl, mix the flour and baking powder
-Take around 2 tbsp of tea leaves and grind into small pieces. Then, sift the little pieces of tea leaves into the dry mixture
-Whisk milk and eggs into another bowl. Add in vanilla extract
-Add in the dry mixture and the milk-egg mixture into the butter-sugar mixture in batches, alternating each time
-Divide batter into cupcake cases and bake for 16–20 minutes, depending on your oven
-For the frosting, whisk the butter until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar in sections until smooth. Whisk in the orange extract then pipe onto the cupcakes when they have cooled.