Earl Grey & Murcott Cupcakes

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I am swamped with schoolwork, so yes, another cupcake archive post. Sorries, I promise a real post will go up soon when I have time to sit down and really write something.

I love this cupcake; its very essence is strange and exotic, yet highly refined. It really does give a taste that can only be described through images of a British colony in India. I totally heart them, and would definitely make them again. However, these are cupcakes that will really shine based on what they are paired with. With tea, coffee, or after a light brunch these will dazzle the senses. After a heavy meal? I don't know. Maybe. It's quiddities might be overcome by stronger flavors. They also go great (I kid you not) with a Fetzer '05 Riesling. That's right, I'm pairing wine with cupcakes now.

Would I bring these to a potluck again? No. Would I bring them to a fine brunch or a fete? Yes. The rogue play of muted citrus and the bold mannerisms of the black tea create a truly sophisticated dessert.

Overall, these were very well recepted by everyone at the potluck (of which the next post will address) and many were even taken home for seconds or for loved ones who couldn't come. Yayness indeed.

Eary Grey & Murcott Cupcakes
Makes about 24 cupcakes

What You'll Need...
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 bags double bergamot early grey tea
1 teaspoon Murcott Orange zest (not navel or juice orange zest!)

What You'll Do...
1) Beat butter on high until soft for 30 seconds.

2) Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.

3) Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.

4) Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and tea (bags ripped open and emptied) in a bowl.

5) Measure out milk and zest in another glass.

6) Mix in the flour mixture then the milk mixture, alternating between the two and ending with the flour.

7) Scoop into cupcake papers about 3/4 full.

8) Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Earl Grey Buttercream
What You'll Need...
1 cup butter, room temperature
4 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of milk
1 bag of earl grey tea (contents emptied)

What You'll Do...
1) Cream the butter until soft.

2) Add the sugar and then the milk and tea. Cream till soft. Spread on cool cupcakes.

26 comments:

  1. They were excellent! And, thank you for hosting.

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  2. We liked these cupcakes..but you are right. Some great tea would have enhanced the flavor.

    You hosted a fabulous food event!

    Speaking of tea..Harold McGee has a food blog and his latest post is about black tea!

    http://curiouscook.blogspot.com

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  3. Thanks again for hosting, Garrett. These cupcakes were so yummy (and my husband loved the one I brought home, too).

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  4. These were really great, Garrett. Need... more...buttercream...
    -Frosting Appreciation Society

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  5. I kind of dreamed of those cupakes all night at work. I ended up going to Peets for a cup of earl grey bergamot tea just to fill some strange void I was feeling. They were super fabulous!

    Thank you so much for hosting, G. It was a great time with so much great food.

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  6. Wow, did you make up this recipe yourself? This is amazing! You should become some kind of cupcake guru!

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  7. Wow, I didn;t think these would fly. I kinda made them up and bammed them out as a last second. Good to see people liked them.

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  8. I forgot that you made the black bean and corn salad! It was another fav of ours!

    Cakegrrl has great pics! (although she didn't mention the chicken...we have skins of rawhide tho, so no hurt feelings here!) I was just so proud of my husband for getting out amongst the people and talking in front of a crowd!

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  9. Oh Garrett, these totally worked, trust me. You even got an award for them on my blog. ;)

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  10. What a fabulous idea. I love the idea of tea-flavored cupcakes, like Chockylit's chai cupcakes. Yummers!

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  11. Where can one find a Murcott orange?

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  12. Earl Grey cupcakes? Sounds good, my husband loves that tea and I love earl grey madelienes. Thanks!

    Ari (Baking and Books)

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  13. Sounds fabulous! Totally gourmet!!

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  14. I took two home afterwards (lucky me!) and I think they were even better the next day, when the tea had infused the icing with its flavor. Delicious!

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  15. the two i took home are gone! it was delicious... hmmm! :-)

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  16. It's Garrett Crocker! ;)

    Can't wait to try this one- a coworker gave me some Lady Grey tea, which is a citrus-y version of EG- which might rock with Murcott...

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  17. What a fabulous idea. I've never heard of murcott oranges though, not sure if we can get them here in the UK - do you reckon I could use something else?

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  18. If you are having trouble finding a murcott, any sublte flavored orange will do. Naval and juice oranges kind of have too much orangey punch to them, you want something with a calm orange flavor (like bergamot, but use whatever is available to you).

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  19. Hi Garrett,

    I am just baking these at the moment. I take it they're meant to go in a 350 degree oven? And was I supposed to mix the murcott rind with the milk before stirring in?

    Hope so. They look great so far!

    Lis

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  20. Alicia - thanks for the heads up. I altered the recipe for what you mentioned. You did everything just right!

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  21. I'm sorry, but I couldn't understabd what you meant by "2 bags double bergamot early grey tea". Why "double"? Sorry again, maybe it's the language barrier, I'm Brazilian and sometimes recipes in English are hard to understand. I'd really like to try these cupcakes, though, Earl Grey being my favorite tea.

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  22. These were, as I've been imagining, delicious! Thank you for the recipe :)

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  23. This sounds like an interesting flavour for a cupcake. Really pretty too.

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  24. I tried a version of these - excellent! I didn't have Earl Grey, so I used Black Currant, and no murcott orange, but I did have lemon. Since my tea was loose, I estimated the amounts - I ground up a tablespoon of the tea, which I added along with a teaspoon of ungrounded tea. Really, really yummy! Thanks for the guidance and inspiration Garrett!

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  25. I just made these a few days ago and they were wonderful! Seriously, some of the best cupcakes I've had.

    I made a few changes to get a stronger earl grey flavor- you can check them out here if you're interested: http://amourpetitgateau.blogspot.com/2009/09/earl-grey-tea-cupcakes-with-white.html

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Hey, you're leaving a comment! That's pretty darn cool, so thanks. If you have any questions or have found an error on the site or with a recipe, please e-mail me and I will reply as soon as possible.
~Garrett

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