Earl Grey Cupcakes

I've never been to Primrose Bakery, but oh my gosh, I really want to! I've been dying to try out this recipe for a while now. Earl Grey is my favourite variety of tea, so this recipe was too good to resist.

Earl Grey Cupcakes

(from Primrose Bakery)

Ingredients

125ml milk

4 Earl Grey tea bags (or you could sub with your favourite variety)

110g unsalted butter

225g granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp almond essence (optional)

125g self-raising flour

120g flour

Frosting:

115g unsalted butter

60ml semi skimmed milk

1tsp good quality vanilla extract

500g icing sugar

few drops of lilac food colouring

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.

Heat milk in a saucepan over a medium heat until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add teabags. Cover with a lid for about 30 minutes.

Cream butter with sugar in a bowl until the mixture is pale and smooth. After this has been achieved, add almond extract and eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Scrape bowl with a spatula to make sure that the mixture is well combined.

Combine the flours in a separate bowl. Add a third of the flour to the butter and sugar mixture and beat well. Pour in a third of the milk/tea mixture and beat. Repeat until all the flour and milk has been added.

Carefully spoon mixture into cupcake cases, filling each one two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. 

After cooked, leave in 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool.

To make butter cream, beat butter, milk, vanilla and half the icing sugar until smooth. Gradually add the rest of icing sugar to produce a creamy and smooth consistency. Add a drop of colouring and beat thoroughly.

There's nothing I love more than a cup of tea, whether it be a standard builder's brew, or something really weird (I'm desperate to try pomegranate tea!). But at the moment, I'm totally hooked on Earl Grey tea. 

So I'm going to sit here and eat these cupcakes while drinking the namesake tea. Yum!!

On another note, I recently found a baking blog that I'm absolutely obsessed with. It's called katiecakes, so you should go and check it out, because personally I think she's amazing!

Also, theres a new blog name. Orla came up with it, so go check out her Twitter!

And while you're there, check out my Twitter!

Happy December to you all, I've got some festive bakes up my sleeve!

New York Cheesecake

I haven't blogged in a while, sorrrrry! But I'm back now with a very delicious cheesecake, and some more planned bakes for the near future.

Ingredients

600g soft cheese

284ml pot double cream

100g icing sugar

vanilla essence

250g digestive biscuits

100g butter, melted

N.B Alternatively, I like to use Chocolate HobNob biscuits, depending on the flavour of the cheesecake. It makes it slightly oatier, with a little bit of milk chocolate. YUM.

Method

1. Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment. To make the base, put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared rin and press firmly down into the base. Chill in the fridge for ideally an hour to set firmly.

2. To make the filling, place the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla into a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the double cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. 

3. Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down.

4. Leave to set in the fridge for as long as possible (overnight would be best).

As I didn't make this at home (I made it at school), I couldn't take pictures of my method etc, but the recipe is incredibly simple and is practically foolproof!