Earl grey cupcakes with lemon buttercream

Adapted from: Edible Moments

I saw the recipe for these tasty cakes and knew I had to make them. I would like to rename the recipe "adult cakes" or "fruit loop cakes" just because they have a slightly more refined taste because there are fine bits of delicious tea in them. I have always thought earl grey tea tasted a little fruit loopy and it certainly smells like fruit loops. The best part of making these tasty cakes was the aroma that filled my kitchen.

Ingredients for the cakes

• -1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• -1 cup sugar
• -2 eggs
• -1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• -2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• -3/4 tsp. salt
• -1/2 cup milk
• -2 Earl Grey tea bags

Start out by combining the butter (should be completely softened) and the sugar. Cream them together until they are completely combined.

Then add in two eggs and 1/2 cup of milk in then mix with your blender until combined.

Keep mixing away until it resembles the picture below.

Then get out your tea. I would try to break it down a little bit so it is pretty much speckled flakes in your cakes not huge tea leaves. You can break out your mortar and pestle or pulverize it with the back of a wooden spoon. Mi momma got me this beautiful mortar and pestle for Christmas so I figured why not put it to use.

Then put 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour in a bowl with 2 1/4 tsp of baking powder and 3/4 tsp of salt. Add in your crushed up tea leaves and mix through.

Then mix your sugar/egg mixture with the flour/tea mixture and plop it into some baking cups like you see below. Pop them into a 350 degree oven until they get all golden over. It should be about 20 to 25 minutes. Be sure to test the center with a toothpick to make sure they come clean and are done.

While the tasty cakes bake up get your buttercream ready.

Ingredients for the cream

-1 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

-3 cups of powdered sugar, sifted

-1 lemon, the zest of and juice of

-1 tsp of vanilla extract

-1/8 tsp of salt

Zest and juice your lemon ...

Then add all the other ingredients together and beat together with an electric hand mixture until it becomes nice and creamy.

If the consistency is not to your liking add a bit of cream or half-and-half until it gets to the right consistency.

Take your cakes out of the oven let them cool and wait for the magic to begin.

Frost them up and add whatever decorations you like !!

Enjoy !!!