Earl Grey Cupcakes

This cupcake recipe is speckled with loose leaf tea, stuffed with earl grey jelly and topped with lemon cream cheese icing. This earl grey cupcake is the perfect pick-me-up to weather the cold, wet days of Spring.

We were so lucky to enjoy a beautiful Easter weekend, which we filled with macarons and our first ice cream cones of the season. Licking those cool, sweet swirls had me daydreaming of the frozen treats I would create for the blog this week, but of course Mother Nature beat me to it! We were greeted Tuesday morning with our annual Spring snowstorm. Despite the balmy climate and the rain, the stubborn snow is overstaying its welcome. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an avid winter sports enthusiast who can appreciate snow; however, at this time of year, I’m much more excited about seeing my tulips and garlic bulbs bloom. Needless to say, this cold snap has me craving warm and cozy foods and drinks.

I’ve been enjoying floral cups of earl grey from my favourite tea shop Camellia Sinensis, and it inspired me to create a cupcake version of a tea-flavoured wedding cake I once made for my best friend’s wedding. The cupcake is speckled with loose leaf tea, and topped with earl grey jelly and lemon cream cheese icing. This earl grey cupcake is the perfect pick-me-up to weather the cold, wet days of Spring.

Earl Grey Cupcakes

114g butter, room temp

320g sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

70g sunflower oil

95g milk

13g rice vinegar

45g lemon juice

5 drops lemon essential oil

190g cake flour

35g earl grey tea leaves

4g baking powder

4g kosher salt

1. Depending on the size of the loose leaf tea, grind the tea in a spice grinder.

2. Whisk dry ingredients together.

3. Pour the vinegar and the milk together.

4. Weigh out the remaining ingredients.

5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy.

6. Lower the mixing speed to medium and add eggs and yolks, fully incorporating and scraping down the bowl between each addition.

7. Stream in the wet ingredients.

8. Mix in the dry ingredients.

9. Using a large ice cream scooper (I love this set) put batter into lined muffin tins.

10. Bake at 350 for 18min

Earl Grey Jelly

300g water

8g earl grey tea leaves

200g sugar

1 tsp. pectin NH

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Steep earl grey tea for 10-15 minutes- you want it to taste strong and bitter.

2. In a medium saucepan whisk the sugar and pectin together.

3. Add the lemon juice and 270g strong steeped earl grey.

4. Bring to a boil and whisk for 2 minutes.

5. Pour into a mason jar and let set in the fridge, approximately 3h.
   

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

300g cream cheese, room temperature

30g butter, melted

700g icing sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

1. In the stand mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy.

2. Stream in the juice of one lemon and the melted butter.

3. Add in the lemon zest from two lemons, salt and icing sugar and mix on low until combined.

Montage

1. Using a sharp paring knife, cut a cone-like shape out of the top of the cupcakes.

2. Fill the cupcakes with a dollop of earl grey jelly.

3. Fill a piping bag with the lemony cream cheese icing and pipe it onto the cupcakes.

Enjoy!