You'll be delighted with how soft, tender, flavoursome and aromatic these delicious Earl Grey cupcakes turn out.
They have a super light, springy crumb, with a subtle flavour of vanilla and milky Earl Grey tea.
Usually, if you use tea in cake, you discard the tea bag, but in this recipe, the tea leaves go into the cake batter along with the milk they infuse.
You might wonder if it will be gritty or bitter, but they're not at all. In fact, because the leaves steeped in milk first, they're sweet, soft and just a little chewy in the baked cake. Yum!
You could make these cakes in normal muffin cases, but we have had these silicone teacup cake cases in the baking drawer for years and we love how it adds to the effect,.
Here’s the recipe - it makes 12 Earl Grey cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 175 g (6.2 oz) salted butter softened
- 200 g (7.1 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 200 g (7.1 oz) self-raising white flour (self rising flour)
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 125 ml (4.2 floz) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 good quality Earl Grey teabag
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted, 350F)
Heat the milk in a mug in the microwave until it's hand hot.
Open the tea bag and tip into the milk.
Stir and set aside.
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
Beat together until fluffy.
Add in the eggs.
Whisk again until fluffy.
Add the flour and baking powder.
Fold through.
When the milky tea is room temp, tip it into the batter, along with all the tea leaves.
Add the vanilla and stir through gently.
Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake cases, either in a muffin tray, or in silicone cases as shown here.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
What do you think? What's your favourite tea?
Print this Earl Grey cupcakes recipe
Earl Grey Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 175 g (6.2 oz) salted butter softened
- 200 g (7.1 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 200 g (7.1 oz) self-raising white flour (self rising flour)
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 125 ml (4.2 floz) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 good quality Earl Grey teabag
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted, 350F)
- Heat the milk in a mug in the microwave until it's hand hot.
- Open the tea bag and tip into the milk, stir and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Add in the eggs. Whisk again until fluffy.
- Add the flour and baking powder. Fold through.
- When the milky tea is room temp, tip it into the batter, along with all the tea leaves.
- Add the vanilla and stir through gently.
- Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake cases, either in a muffin tray, or in silicone cases as shown here.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
For more fun, easy cake recipes why not check out my 25 favourite mug cake recipes.
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Shanthini Jayanthan says
I made them for a 7 person gathering last weekend to have with tea. All raved about it. Only addition I did was adding 1 tablespoon orange zest. I did not have self rising flour so made it with all purpose flour with baking powder and salt. Was not sure to add baking powder again so just added 1/2 tsp. May be that was the reason it did not rise too much. Let me know if I should have added 1 tsp as per recipe. Thank you.
Emily Leary says
So glad you enjoyed them. Yes, I would add the extra tsp on top of making the plain into self raising, just to give that additional lift.
Sally Sellwood (@Recipejunkie27) says
Mmm I love tea in cakes - I like the idea of putting the leaves actually in the cake - usually soak dried fruit in the tea itself. The cake cases are very cuke too!
Fiona Maclean (@fionamaclean) says
Lovely delicate sounding cupcakes Emily
Johnson Babies says
I've just lost half an hour eyeing up everything on Lakeland again.
Fantastic recipe... but too much damage to my purse this time ;)
Hussy London Housewife says
Thank you for sharing a fab recipe.
These really look mouthwatering !
@goriami says
Love this, earl grey cupcakes are lush! I want those tea cup cases they're fab! x