Earl Grey Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

These Earl Grey Cupcakes get the perfect pairing with the Salted Caramel Buttercream! These Earl Grey Cupcakes are tender, moist, and jam-packed with Earl Grey flavor, thanks to the tea-infused batter! Homemade salted caramel is made and added into the buttercream to create a frosting that is deeply sweet and creamy. The deeply sweet caramel is the perfect pairing to the bright earl grey flavors!

How to infuse the milk with Earl Grey Tea

The first step in creating these Earl Grey Cupcakes is infusing the milk with the tea. This process starts by heating up the milk in a small saucepan until it just barely gets to a simmer. Remove it from the heat and place 3 Earl Grey tea bags into it. It may seem like a lot of tea for such a small amount of milk, but the flavor has to be extremely concentrated to properly flavor the cake! Next, place a piece of plastic over the surface of the milk (to prevent a skin from forming), and place the saucepan into the fridge to cool down and infuse, for at least 2 hours. After the milk has cooled and infused, remove the tea bags and press on them to release any milk that is still within the tea bags, then discard the tea bags.

How to make the Earl Grey Cupcakes

1.Infuse the milk: As written above, add the tea bags to hot milk and allow to steep for 2 hours.

2. Beat eggs and sugar: Add the eggs, vanilla, and sugar, to your stand mixer, then beat the three together for about 3-4 minutes. By the end, it should be fluffy, and be tripled in volume.

3. Add oil: Turn the stand mixer down to medium speed, then slowly drizzle the oil into the stand mixer while it continues to beat. After all the oil has been added, beat the mixture for another 30 seconds.

4. Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt, then whisk them together to combine.

5. Alternate add the dry & wet to stand mixer: First add the 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then beat until just combined. Add ½ of the cooled earl grey-steeped milk,  and beat until just combined. Continue adding the wet & dry in this order, until all of the ingredients have been added (you’ll finish with the dry).

6. Add to pan & bake: Pour the Earl Grey Cupcake batter into prepared cupcake pans, then place into the oven to bake! When done, allow the Earl Grey Cupcakes to cool completely before frosting!

How to make salted caramel

Although making your own salted caramel may seem a bit daunting at first, it’s actually quite easy! Making it takes about 10 to 15 minutes of active cooking.

Start by throwing the sugar and water into a large-ish saucepan over medium heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve in the water, then increase the heat to medium-high and let the mixture turn amber. During this caramelization period, make sure you DO NOT stir it! Stirring the mixture can cause little sugar clumps/crystals to occur, leading to an unsmooth sauce. After the sugar mixture has turned amber in color, add the cubed butter in, whisking as you add it. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit, so using a big enough whisk is important. If the butter doesn’t seem to want to incorporate, just vigorously whisk it, off the heat, until it does! After the butter has been added and is well-incorporated, add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, then whisk until well-combined again. Now simply allow the caramel to cool to at least room-temperature before using!

The salted caramel can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for about 3 months.

Get the Recipe: Earl Grey Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

4.84 stars (6 reviews)

The bright flavors of Earl Grey tea pair beautifully with the rich deep notes of salted caramel in these Earl Grey Cupcakes!

Prep Time: 40 minutes mins

Cook Time: 18 minutes mins

Total Time: 58 minutes mins

Servings: 24 cupcakes

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Ingredients

 

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Earl Grey Cupcakes

• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 4 Earl Grey Tea Bags
• 2 ¼ cups (270g) All Purpose Flour,, measured correctly †
• 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Table Salt
• ¼ tsp Cardamom
• 1 ½ cups White Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Salted Caramel

• 1 cup White Sugar
• 1/4 cup Water
• 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature and cubed
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt

Salted Caramel Buttercream

• 2 cups Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
• 7 cups Confectioners Sugar,, sifted
• 1/2 cup Salted Caramel
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Equipment

• Stand mixer

Instructions

 

Earl Grey Cupcakes

• Add milk to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer then immediately remove from heat. Place the tea bags into the milk and gently stir. Place a piece of plastic over the surface of the milk and place into the fridge to cool and steep for about 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the tea bags, set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F, and prepare 2 cupcake pans with liners. In a large sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom, then whisk together to combine.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high for around 5 minutes, the mixture should look thick, fluffy, and be tripled in volume. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then slowly drizzle in the oil. After all the oil has been added, beat for an additional minute.
• On low, add the dry mixture to the stand mixer, mixing until just combined. Add in the tea-infused milk and mix only until the batter becomes smooth. Add the batter evenly to the cupcake pans, then bake in the oven for around 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Salted Caramel

• In a large saucepan over medium heat add sugar and water. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to boil.
• Once the mixture begins to boil turn the heat up to medium-high and allow the mixture to boil, ensuring not to stir it, until it turns amber in color (stirring the mixture will cause crystallization, so refrain from stirring).
• Once the mixture has become amber in color (360°F on a candy thermometer), add the cubed butter and mix very vigorously to combine. (Be careful, however, because the mixture will bubble and rise up rapidly when you add the butter). If the butter seems to be separating from the caramel, remove it from the heat, then whisk vigorously until it comes together.
• Next, carefully add in the heavy cream (it will bubble rapidly again), vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth and well-combined. Remove the caramel from the heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cover tightly, and allow to cool to room temperature before using. (Makes 1 cup)

Salted Caramel Buttercream

• Add butter to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until butter is doubled in volume, and looks light and fluffy.
• Turn the stand mixer to low and slowly add the confectioners sugar. Beat until completely incorporated, then add in the salted caramel and vanilla. Beat until well-combined and fully incorporated.
• Pipe onto cupcakes and drizzle remaining salted caramel over frosted cupcakes.

Notes

† to measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then level off with a straight edge. Do not pack the flour into the cup, or scoop with the measuring cup straight from the bag/container. Alternatively, weigh the flour (1 cup = 120g or 4oz)

Cuisine: American

Course: Baking

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