Earl Grey Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream
The bright flavors of Earl Grey tea pair beautifully with the rich deep notes of salted caramel in these Earl Grey Cupcakes!
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
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
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)