These Earl Grey cupcakes smell heavenly with lavender icing. They are also so pretty to look at. It starts with a vanilla cupcake infused with Earl Grey tea. Then finish off with an aromatic lavender buttercream icing.
These unique flavor cupcakes will taste amazing with a cup of Earl Grey tea or even Earl Grey Lavender tea. They would be a welcome addition to your next tea experience.
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What You will Love about This Recipe
First, the colors are spectacular, and it is so inviting. Then it makes you think of the vintage era or days gone by. I love the scent of the subtle Earl Grey tea with a touch of lavender. Culinary Lavender is powerful, so start with a small amount and add more as you desire.
Ingredients Needed
- Whole milk
- 5 Earl Grey Teabags
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Culinary lavender
- Powdered sugar
- 2-3 drops of lavender gel coloring
How to make Earl Grey Cupcakes
Prepare the Earl Grey Infused milk in a saucepan. Combine the milk and 2 Earl Grey Teabags and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, remove from the heat and cover, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then strain out the tea bags and place the milk into a separate container, and cool.
Next, in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Next, add the 2 eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the bowl after each egg.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and Earl Grey tea leaves opened from the remaining three tea bags. Next, alternate the dry ingredients with the Earl Grey infused milk into the creamed butter mixture in 3 separate additions. Mix until combined, while continuing to scrape the sides with a spatula.
Spoon the batter into the prepared liners until they are 2/3 of the way full and bake for 16-18 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack.
Frosting Directions
Next, in a food processor or spice grinder, pulse the sugar with the culinary lavender until it is fine. Strain to remove any larger lavender pieces.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and salt until fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add in the lavender-sugar mixture and mix until combined. Next, add in the powdered sugar, scraping the mixture after each addition.
Once the powdered sugar is all incorporated, add in the milk and mix until well combined. If desired, add lavender food coloring to create a beautiful color for the buttercream.
How to Frost
You can add the frosting to a decorating bag fitted with a large star tip (Wilton 1 M) or you can fill a baggie with frosting and cut a small hole in the tip and frost that way. I use a circular motion.
Earl Grey Cupcake FAQs
No, you don’t have to use any food coloring; it is a personal preference. But it does give them a nice appearance.
No, you can use your favorite preference or even loose-leaf tea. Just make sure you strain the tea leaves out after heating the milk.
The best way is to store them before frosting them in an airtight container. You can freeze for up to two months. Or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let it warm up to room temperature before consuming.
PRO TIP:
For the best flavor infusion, finely grind your Earl Grey tea leaves before adding them to the batter. This helps release more of the bergamot oils and ensures the tea flavor is evenly distributed. You can pulse the loose tea in a spice grinder or mini food processor until it becomes a fine powder. The result is a rich, aromatic cupcake with true Earl Grey depth in every bite.
What you can serve with these Earl Grey Cupcakes
These cupcakes will be a wonderful addition to any Afternoon Tea Party, birthday party, or even a women’s bible study. Serve them with some Earl Grey Scones, or Earl Grey Cookies.
Other Related Recipes:
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Earl Grey Cupcake Recipe
Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 Cup Whole Milk
- 5 Earl Grey Teabags
- 3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Frosting
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Culinary Lavender
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Milk
- 2 Drops Lavender Gel Color
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard muffin pans with your favorite cupcake liners.
- Prepare the Earl Grey Infused milk in a saucepan by combine the milk and 2 Earl Grey Teabags and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils remove from heat and cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Then strain out the tea bags and place the milk into a separate container.
- Next in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy about 5 minutes. Next, add the Vanilla Extract and 2 eggs 1 at a time. scraping the bowl after each egg.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and and additional Earl Grey tea leaves opened from the extra 3 tea bags. Next, alternate the dry ingredients with the Earl Grey infused milk into the creamed butter mixture in 3 separate additions. Mix until combined, while continuing to scrape the sides with a spatula.
- Spoon the batter into the 2 prepared pans until they are 2/3 of the way full and bake 16-18 minutes or until light golden on top. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
- Next in a food processor or spice grinder, pulse the sugar with the culinary lavender until it is fine. Remove any large lavender pieces.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and salt until fluffy, approx 5 minutes. Add in the lavender-sugar mixture and mix until combined. Next, add in the powdered sugar, scraping the mixture after each addition.
- Once the powdered sugar is all incorporated, add in the milk and mix until well combined. If desired, add lavender food coloring tocreate beautiful color for the buttercream.
- Put the frosting in a piping bag or baggie and decorate as desired.
