STRAWBERRY & CHAMPAGNE CUPCAKES

Today’s The Romantic inspired recipe of Strawberry & Champagne cupcakes is brought to us by the creative abiteofkindness

Today I decided to make some beautiful The Romantic – Strawberry & champagne cupcakes which are bursting with fresh and fruity flavours. These are so decadent and classy, perfect for the pot luck picnic, or just as a treat.

I love to make cupcakes. They are just so perfect. They’re like a pre-portioned cake, but with less decorating and much less hassle. Plus their cute and convenient. As much as I love beautiful cakes I usually stick with cupcakes when I’m baking for the family.

I was given the opportunity to work with Tea and the Gang and make a recipe featuring one of their teas. I picked The Romantic, mostly because I have a major crush on the Eiffel Tower or Paris in general. Also because it’s strawberry and champagne flavored and absolutely gorgeous! Plus it smells divine!

I don’t know why I didn’t think of using tea in baking before. When I make cupcakes I usually use water for the liquid. Using tea to infuse some extra flavor into the batter is a brilliant idea. The Romantic tea blend is made with Pai Mu Dan White Tea, Apple pieces, Rosehip, Hibiscus, Elderflower, Freeze-dried strawberries, Orange blossom, Lime leaves, and natural flavorings. And as I’ve said above it both tastes and smells absolutely amazing.

YIELDS 12 Servings Quarter (3 Servings) Half (6 Servings) Default (12 Servings) Double (24 Servings) Triple (36 Servings)
PREP TIME 30 mins
COOK TIME 20 mins
TOTAL TIME 50 mins

INGREDIENTS:

One tea bag of Tea and the Gang strawberry & champagne tea
1 cup water
1 2/3 cup flour
One cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
Half a tsp salt
½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup oil
1 tsp vanilla 10 strawberries
125 g margarine or vegan butter
200 g icing sugar
2 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by steeping one tea bag in 1 cup of cold water for about 20 minutes. The tea bag needs a good steeping to get all the lovely flavors out. Using cold water will prevent it from burning. Luckily it doesn’t get bitter as some teas do which is one of the things I really like about this tea.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a cupcake baking tray with muffin liners.

3. In a bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a different bowl combine the steeped tea, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Do not overmix.

5. Cut the strawberries in small pieces and fold them into the batter.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Buttercream

7. To make the buttercream, beat the margarine until it becomes light and fluffy, this will take a few minutes. Add the icing sugar and continue to beat until the mix is well combined. I recommend using a stand mixer or you risk having very sore hands the day after. Add in the freeze-dried strawberry powder and mix well. Place the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with your favorite piping tip and pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes. Decorate with a fresh strawberry on top. If you can’t get your hands on the freeze-dried strawberry powder you could always use store-bought liquid flavoring and vanilla.