Earl Grey Cupcakes with Pomegranate Buttercream

Delicious and moist cupcakes infused with earl grey tea leaves and topped with creamy & tangy pomegranate buttercream. These Earl Grey Cupcakes with Pomegranate Buttercream are perfect for a tea lover!

Out of all the black teas I have tried, Earl grey is one of my favourites. It is a black tea base that is flavoured with the addition of oil of bergamot orange. A citrus fruit that is somewhat of a cross in flavor and appearance between an orange, a lemon and a lime, I guess. The rind’s fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste. Love the citrus flavour.

How to make Earl Grey Cupcakes with Pomegranate buttercream?

The cupcake is a combination of –

1. Earl Grey Infused Milk – The infused milk is what gives the cupcakes its delicious tea flavour. Tea leaves are boiled in whole milk for 20 minutes and that helps infuse the milk with the tea flavour.
2. Earl Grey Cupcakes – These tender and moist earl grey cupcakes are infused with earl grey tea leaves by adding the infused milk to their batter. This infused milk gives the actual flavour to the cupcakes.
3. Pomegranate Buttercream – The perfect topping to the earl grey cupcake, the pomegranate buttercream compliments the cake well. Giving it the little extra sweetness and fruity flavour. Reduce the Pomegranate Juice in a pan to a thick liquid and add to the buttercream. Pomegranate gives the buttercream a fruity and tangy flavour. The cupcakes can be made without the buttercream as a muffin too. The earl grey cake itself is delicious.

Why Infused milk?

Infusing the milk with natural aromatics is a great way of getting amazing flavours into the cupcake. Infusing the milk with the earl grey tea is what gives the distinct flavour of earl grey tea to the cupcakes.

Tips for buttercream!

1. The buttercream calls for unsalted butter and it is better to use that, since salted butter will make the frosting very salty. Also, use good quality butter as regular local butter contains excess water and that may lead to a runny buttercream that is difficult to pipe. (Out of experience, sadly).
2. The second major ingredient is Icing sugar. This is something you would not want to substitute with powdered sugar made at home, since that leads to a grainy buttercream with sugar crystals. If you would like to still make it at home, make sure to powder the sugar verryy fine and add some cornstarch to it! (1 tsp Cornstarch for 100 g of powered sugar).
3. Beat the butter well before adding icing sugar. The butter should be fluffy.
4. Before adding the pomegranate juice, make sure to reduce it to a thick liquid. Excess liquid in the buttercream will cause it to split and be runny.

Storing Earl Grey Cupcakes

Store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The buttercream might stiffen up in the refrigerator. Leave the cupcakes on the counter for 15 minutes before serving to help the buttercream soften.

Like this recipe? Try my other cupcakes recipes–

• Chai Spiced Cupcakes
• German Chocolate Cupcakes

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Pomegranate Buttercream

Recipe by thecrumbstoriesCourse: Dessert

Servings

24

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Delicious and moist cupcakes infused with earl grey tea leaves and topped with creamy & tangy pomegranate buttercream.

Ingredients

• Earl Grey Cupcakes

• 245 g Whole Milk

• 2 tbsp Earl Grey Tea leaves, to infuse

• 170 g Unsalted Butter

• 300 g Caster Sugar

• 3 Large Eggs

• 280 g All-Purpose Flour

• 2 tsp Baking powder

• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

• 1/2 tsp Salt, skip if using Salted butter

• 1 tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves

• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

• Pomegranate Buttercream

• 1/2 cup Pomegranate juice

• 200 g Unsalted Butter, softened

• 350 g Icing Sugar

• 1-2 tbsp Heavy Cream

Directions

• Earl Grey Cupcakes
• In a sauce pan, add the milk with earl grey tea leaves and let it simmer for 20 minutes to infuse the milk. Remove it from the pan and let it cool.
• Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.
• In a bowl, combine the softened butter and caster sugar. Beat till fluffy and pale.
• Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well in between each.
• In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt (Skip salt is using salted butter).
• Add in the sifted dry ingredients to the batter in batches alternating with the infused milk.
• Now, add in the vanilla extract and a tablespoon tea leaves into the batter. Stir it in till incorporated well.
• Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or brush the pan with some butter.
• Fill the paper cases two-thirds full with the mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.
• Pomegranate Buttercream
• Take 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice in a pan and heat it up till reduced to half and is thick. Let it cool.
• Beat the softened room temperature butter with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes or until pale.
• Sift the icing Sugar into a bowl and add it to the butter in two batches, beating well in between each.
• Add in the reduced pomegranate juice to the buttercream gradually, beating continuously.
• Also, add 1-2 tbsp of heavy cream and beat well.
• Now pipe it over the cooled cakes.

Notes

• Skip using the salt incase you are using salted butter in the cakes. The buttercream will be best made with unsalted (White) butter.

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