Rose with French Vanilla Tea Cupcakes

These delicately flavoured cupcakes I actually made for a Dilmah tea competition and also for the fact that I have been wanting to try infused tea baking for a while.

I found the perfect way to infuse butter from the Cupcake Project website and it really works very well. The technique is described below as I've used it in the buttercream. I infused the milk with the tea for the cupcake batter.
The little cupcake stands came from my sister in law Meagan who purchased them in London. Thanks Megs! They are so perfect!

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1/2 cup rice bran oil

1/2 cup milk

4 Dilmah Rose with French Vanilla Tea Bags

1/2 teaspoon lemon or white vinegar

Buttercream Icing:

6 Dilmah Rose with French Vanilla Tea Bags

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

1 tablespoon milk

A drop of pink food colouring

Preheat oven to 180 deg C

Start by heating the milk in a small saucepan with a very low heat. Add the 4 teabags and leave for 5 minutes to infuse. Once the time is up remove from heat and let it cool. Once it is cool add the lemon juice to the milk (this creates a buttermilk consistency).

In a medium sized bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir.

In another bowl with an electric mixer add the eggs and beat for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and continue beating on a high speed. Add the vanilla and oil and keep beating for another 30 seconds.

Stop the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the infused buttermilk. Beat until just combined.

Pour mixture into cupcake tins and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked right through.

While the cakes are cooking start on the Rose with French Vanilla infused butter for the icing.

Melt the butter under a low heat until just liquid. Add the contents of the teabags (you will need to break these open) and add to the butter. Keep on the low heat for 5 minutes.
Using a fine sieve strain the butter through it, pressing hard on the tea leaves to get as much flavour out as you can. Discard the tea leaves and set the butter aside to cool and harden.

When the butter has hardened you can put it in your mixer.

To make the icing add the hardened infused butter, milk and vanilla essence to the mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment slowly mix the ingredients together.

Add the icing sugar and mix until all ingredients are combined and smooth. Add the food colouring and turn the paddle attachment on high and beat for 1 minute until the buttercream is light and fluffy (if it is too stiff, add a little milk until its softer).

Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and serve!

Makes 12-14 cupcakes

I've also entered these into the November Sweet New Zealand hosted by Kitchen Maid