Earl Grey cupcakes – perfect recipe for afternoon tea

I’m delighted with these delicious Earl Grey cupcakes. They have a super light, spongy crumb, with a subtle flavour of vanilla and milky Earl Grey.

I was actually surprised by just how well these turned out. I’d never used tea leaves in cake batter and wondered if they would be gritty or bitter, but they weren’t at all. In fact, because they’re steeped in milk first, they’re sweet, soft and just a little chewy in the baked cakes – just yummy!

You could make these cakes in normal muffin cases, but we recently splashed out on these silicone teacup cake cases, which rather adds to the effect, I think. The kids and I filled the teapot with milk and had a little tea party.

Here’s the recipe  – it makes 12 Earl Grey cupcakes…

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted, 350F).
2. Heat the milk in a mug in the microwave until it’s hand hot.
3. Open the tea bag and tip into the milk, stir and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
5. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the flour and baking powder.
6. When the milk is room temp, tip it into the batter, along with all the tea leaves.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the cases (I only had 4 so cooked them in batches, filling to about 1cm from the top.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

What do you think? What’s your favourite tea?

Here’s that recipe again in easy to print format.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Earl Grey cupcakes

I’m delighted with these delicious Earl Grey cupcakes. They have a super light, spongy crumb, with a subtle flavour of vanilla and milky Earl Grey.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: cakes and bakes

Cuisine: British

Keyword: cupcakes, Earl Grey, muffins, tea

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Calories: 253kcal

Author: Emily Leary

Ingredients

• 175 g (6.2 oz) butter softened
• 200 g (7.1 oz) caster sugar
• 200 g (7.1 oz) self raising flour
• 3 medium free range eggs
• 125 ml (4.2 floz) whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1  good quality Earl Grey teabag

Equipment

• Weighing scales
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring jug
• Mug
• Large mixing bowl
• Electric whisk
• Metal spoon
• 12 hole muffin tray
• 12 cupcake cases
• Wire cooling rack

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.
• Cube and warm the butter, then warm in the microwave in 5-10 second blasts until it's all very soft and just starting to melt.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs, then stir in the flour and baking powder.
• When the milk is room temp, tip it into the batter, along with all the tea leaves.
• Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake cases.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Once cool, store in a sealed container and keep in a cool place. They should keep for 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 441IU | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.

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