Tea infused Cupcakes.

With just a few simple ingredients, you can go a long way...

I guess its really a comfort food. Its one of those things that are so simple; yet so indulging.
As I flipped about some recipes, I was more in the mood for something darling to make - these yummies ticked a lot of boxes!

This recipe calls for Green tea leaves but I guess it is alright to substitute any kind of loose tea leaves for your liking. I've got to say, the flavour of the tea is brought out quite well but I think I would add a little extra or so for those tea addicts.

It really is a great cupcake this - I omitted the frosting as I like to simply dust with icing sugar. But of course, if you prefer a stronger and sweeter essence of tea, feel free to get piping!

This recipe is perfect for everyone, especially because it uses the most popular cupcake making method. But with a spin in the milk, it gives an interesting combo for all.

Bust out your electric whisk and get going, your tea-smelling cupcakes will be on the roll............!

Tea infused Cupcakes:

To make 12:

100ml milk

2 tsp loose green tea leaves

100g unsalted butter, softened

125g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

150g self raising flour, sifted

1/4 tsp baking powder

Frosting:

3 tsp loose green tea leaves

about 75ml boiling water

75g unsalted butter, softened

250g icing sugar, sifted

sugar flowers to top it all off

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper fairy cake cases.

2. Put the milk into a small saucepan and bring tot he boil. Add the green tea leaves and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

4. Using a hand-held electric whisk, whisk the butter and caster sugar in a bowl, or beat with a wooden spoon, until pale and creamy. Gradually whisk in the eggs until just combined. Pass the green tea milk through a sieve into the bowl, then discard the tea.

4. Using a metal spoon, fold in the flour and baking powder. Divide the mixture equally among the paper cases.

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and risen. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

6. For the frosting, put the tea leaves into a jug, add the boiling water and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

7. Place the butter into a bowl and whisk until fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar and whisk until combined. Pass the green tea through and sieve into the bowl, then discard the tea. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

8. Insert a star nozzle into a piping bag and fill it with the frosting. Pipe a swirl on each cake and decorate with a sugar flower.

To freeze, complete the recipe till step 5. Open freeze, then wrap and freeze. When ready to gobble it all up, thaw for about an hour and then top with icing sugar or the frosting.

A Rainbow Rainbow Chiffon Birthday Cake

I don't really know why, but I felt the urge to assemble a long detailed tutorial on one of my favourite top-notch cakes - The Rainbow Chiffon. I last posted about this combazzled smash-up of colours here but last week, I decided to take this on further and make it into a "proper" birthday cake. 

This cake is one with many-a-flavours. Vanilla, pandan and the good ole' choc. I have decided to frost this cake with Angel Delight, a whipped dessert. It originally came across me to use this creamy treat as a frosting when I saw the idea of using Cool Whip being used in an American recipe. It turned out amazing - Angel Delight using milk as its main ingredient means that it won't be too heavy and as sweet as buttercream or other so and so's. *Brill* What's more, Angel Delight is incredibly cheap and I find it the best to use when I have to finish up a cake quickly and easily (even at someone else's house!) - all you need is milk! *Double brill*

So to make this...... 

You will need: 

a rainbow chiffon cake

about 2 packs of Angel Delight

some sweets to decorate the cake with

First of all, make the Angel Delight. I recommend putting half of the amount of milk it states on the instructions and then gradually building up with the liquid, as you don't want it to be as runny as it normally would as a dessert. Just make sure it can still form peaks.

Next, slice up the cake horizontally as you would normally do to fill up a cake with extra goodness. And also to find that the marbled cake is formed of blotches everywhere.

Spread the filling generously over the half....

.....and sandwich it. Noticing the extra bits that squelches out at the same time.

Cover all sides with the frosting.

And then scream when you have suddenly run out of the gorgeous whipped grub. Make some more and slap it all on, remembering to do the hole in the middle too.

Finally, decorate with sweeties. Please note: using skittles like I have done, is a bad idea. Trust. The colouring starts coming off and your cake will become a disaster!!!! Use chocolate, marshmallows or even fizzers instead. You don't want to find colour dripping down the sides of a neatly frosted cake when you open the fridge - it just shows the many "unhealthy" colourings incorporated I suppose!

I guess I was just that little bit over the top with the rainbows, the colours have exploded into a.....messy mess?

I have chosen to spell out her name on the cake, in addition to her fake age.....just to make her happier with the fact that she is still quite young. ;)

And here it is! A rainbow rainbow chiffon birthday cake!