I created these beautiful cupcakes to celebrate five years of Vintage Kitty! They are perfect for celebrations, but these cupcakes are easy enough to make just because you have a craving too!
Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 cupcake trays with 22 cupcake liners.
In a medium sized bowl combine cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, tea leaves, lemon zest and salt.
Add the vanilla to the buttermilk and set aside.
With an electric mixer, whip egg whites to firm peaks.
Whipping, slowly add the granulated sugar one tablespoon at time until a meringue starts to form.
Continue to whip the meringue while pouring in the honey.
Next stream in the oil.
Add in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Don't over work the batter at this point. Just mix until the flour is mostly incorporated.
Divide the batter into 22 cupcakes and bake for 17-22 minutes. Test cupcakes for doneness with a toothpick.
Let cupcakes cool completely.
Tea syrup
Combine sugar and water in a small pan. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
Once the sugar has melted, steep the tea bag in the simple syrup about 5 minutes.
Poke the cupcakes with a toothpick and drizzle with the tea syrup.
Lemon Buttercream
Combine lemon zest and water in a small sauce pan, then bring to a boil, cooking for three minutes or until zest is soft and translucent.
Turn down heat and add sugar, cooking until sugar melts.
Let syrup cool. Once it has combine it with the heavy cream.
With a whisk attachment, whip butter until it's soft.
Slowly add in powdered sugar.
Stream in lemon syrup/heavy cream mixture and whip until light and fluffy.
Finally, add lemon extract.
Frost cupcakes and if desired decorate with lemon slices immediately before serving.
Notes
Always bring your cold ingredients to room temperature before making your cake batter. It keeps the cupcake tops from cracking and results in a more even bake.
I used Twinings Earl Grey. Each tea bag held about a teaspoon of tea leaves. You can use any tea brand you like, whether loose or bagged. You’ll need about 4 tea bags or 4 teaspoons of tea leaves.
I used cake flour because all purpose flour made the cupcakes rubbery. That’s because all purpose flour has a higher protein content than cake flour.
Be careful not to over mix your cake batter. Too much mixing will also result in a tough cake.