These Earl Grey Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream are perfect for the tea lover in your life! They’re simply scrumptious!
I got my love for tea from my grandmother. She enjoyed a cup every morning with her breakfast. Never coffee. Always tea. Preferably with some kind of sweet bun on the side.
Of all the teas I’ve tried, my favorite has always been Earl Grey. It’s a black tea base that’s flavored with oil from the bergamot orange, which is a citrus fruit that’s somewhat of a cross in flavor and appearance between an orange, a lemon, a lime and grapefruit.
I’ve been dying to bake with it for quite a while. One of my fellow bloggers, Joanne from Olive & Mango, inspired me recently with her Brown Butter Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. (Insanely delicious and totally worth a try!)
So thanks to Joanne, today we’ll be feasting on Earl Grey Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream.
I’ve flavored these little beauties with some Earl Grey tea leaves that I finely ground, and I also infused some milk with a few Earl Grey tea bags that I added to the batter.
I tested this recipe with a few different measurements to make sure the flavor was spot on. I wanted us to taste it, yet not have it be overpowering.
I decided on four tea bags that have been steeped in milk for 20 minutes and then squeezed to get every last bit of flavor. I also added three teaspoons of Earl Grey tea leaves that I finely ground in my coffee grinder.
Earl Grey Cupcakes Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- Earl Grey tea bags
- baking powder
- salt
- milk
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
I topped the cupcakes with some vanilla bean buttercream, which works wonderfully. It’s smooth and creamy with flecks of vanilla seeds that you’ll have a hard time eating right from the bowl.
But you know what? When I tested the cupcakes without the buttercream, they were amazing plain too. More of an excuse to enjoy them not only for dessert, but perhaps for breakfast too.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- confectioners’ sugar
- vanilla bean
- heavy cream
I hope y’all enjoy these little beauties as much as I do! I know my Gram would have loved them too!
And a special thank you to all my fellow amazing food bloggers out there who inspire me every day! I’ve learned so much from each and every one of you!
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Earl Grey Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream
I used my coffee grinder to grind the tea leaves until they were finely ground.
I made sure to squeeze every bit of liquid I could from the tea bags for extra flavor, then I used 2/3 cup of the Earl Grey infused milk for the recipe.
I used a whole vanilla bean for the vanilla bean buttercream. If you only have vanilla extract, you can substitute two teaspoons.
More Delicious Cupcake Recipes to Enjoy
Earl Grey Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Earl Grey Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp. Earl Grey tea leaves, finely ground
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 Earl Grey tea bags
- 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, seed scraped
- 2-4 Tbsp. heavy cream
Instructions
Earl Grey Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, finely ground tea leaves, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, bring milk to a simmer. Do not boil. When milk is at a simmer, add tea bags, cover and remove from heat. Let steep for 20 minutes. When done steeping, add 2/3 cup of the milk to a measuring cup.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and mix until well blended. Add vanilla and beat an additional 1 minute.
- With a spatula add the flour mixture until just combined, then add the 2/3 cup milk being careful not to over mix.
- Spoon batter into liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. After cupcakes are totally cooled, frost with vanilla bean buttercream.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter and sugar. Beat on low speed until blended, about one minute. Add the vanilla bean seeds and heavy cream, starting with two tablespoons, and increase speed to medium and continue to beat for 4 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add more heavy cream if needed to get to desired spreading consistency.
These look incredibly good, Mary Ann! Love that they have a tea flavour…all they need is a nice cuppa tea to go with ;) Pinned! Happy Monday, my friend! XOXO
Thanks so much for pinning Dawn! Happy Monday!
Tea lover right here!! I have two cups of tea every night to help me relax before bed and I’m thinking these beauties would be the perfect little dessert accompaniment! Loving the Use of Earl Gray Tea,Mare! (and isn’t Joanne just fab!?) Pinning to try!! Cheers, dear!
Yes, she is Chey! So talented! Hope you give these a go and love them! Happy Monday!
I use to drink Earl Grey every single day. My favorite tea! I am so excited to see it in these cupcakes. Love it, Mary Ann!
Thanks Tessa! Have an awesome week!
Mary Ann! These cupcakes are absolute stunners! I’m a tea lover too, and I’d love one of these cupcakes alongside my cup of tea this morning :)
Thanks Kelsie! Hope your week is wonderful!
Such a lovely way to start the day! I’d love this alongside my afternoon cup of tea! (I always start the day with coffee…;))
Thanks Annie! Hope you have a great week! Stay cool!
What a lovely idea! I am a coffee drinker but do love a cup of tea from time to time. Earl Grey is one of my favorites. I’ve never thought of baking with tea., but I’ll bet it adds a lovely flavor. Have a wonderful week!
These really are delicious Kathy! I LOVE Earl Grey! Hope your week is awesome!
These are the most beautiful cupcakes EVER!!!! and LOVE the earl grey!!! WOW!
Awwww! Thanks so much Alice!
That’s my favorite tea as well. These look awesome MaryAnn!!
Thanks Matt! Hope everything is going a little better than last week for you guys!
I drink Earl Grey every morning (it’s my mid-morning drink, coffee first because why choose just one? ????) The variety I buy is made locally with a touch of vanilla which I love. Years ago, I made a batch of Earl Grey infused chocolate truffles for my sister, but have never had it in baked goods. Now I must try these cupcakes (and Joanne’s cookie bars) – they sound divine! And your buttercream looks absolutely perfect too! You have me craving a cupcake so early this Monday’s morning! Have a wonderful week, my friend!
Those truffles sound amazing Marissa! Hope you have a great week too!
I’m an Earl Grey fan too, MaryAnn. These cupcakes are absolutely beautiful! I’m swooning over your perfect swirls of buttercream!
Thanks so much Caroline! Stay cool, it’s going to get pretty hot this week!
So lovely! Love Earl Grey and how perfect to use in these lovely cupcakes :)
Thanks Jennifer!
Absolutely love that tea infusion! I brew my Kombucha because EG is my favorite tea ever… so I know these little cakes would be perfect for any celebration – or just for a snack :D Thank you to you too, Mary Ann! I’m happy to have connected in this space! xo
You’re a total inspiration for me Traci! I LOVE your work!
I always enjoy a cup of black tea with some milk in it but I never cooked with tea . Your cupcakes look so good, especially with the buttercream.
I bet you’d love baking with it Gerlinde!
These look heavenly!
Thanks Sarah.
The flavour combo sounds amazing! They look super cute and that buttercream looks so fluffy! I usually start my day with a cup of tea (followed by lots of coffee!), and one of these would be perfect to go with it in the morning!;)
I love the flavor of Earl Grey Leanne! Will always remind me of my Gram! Have a fabulous week!
These are so creative and look incredibly tasty! I can’t resist a good cupcake. :)
Something a bit different to spice up our week Natasha! Hope yours is wonderful!
these are very pretty maryAnn. went down a treat, I bet. cheers shery
Thanks Sherry!
What a delicious and pretty looking cupcake. I’m a big fan of tea and I know how good this must taste. Delicious!!
Thanks so much Asha! I’ll be baking with tea more often now!
Earl Grey is the only tea I drink, these are on the must bake list for the week!
Hope you enjoy them Sue!
Love this recipe Mary Ann! And your photos are just getting more and more gorgeous.
Awwww! Thanks so much Alida! I’ve been inspired by some of the best! You included!
Love a nice cup of Earl Grey tea and these sound divine. Do you have any fave earl grey tea brands that you prefer? I can’t wait to try this.
I love Twining’s. I bet you’ll love these Cindy!
Love Earl Grey! Definitely trying these!
Enjoy Kevin!
Hi! I was searching for a good Earl Grey cupcakes recipe and I think my search ends here! I have a tin of loose Earl Grey tea, would you be able to tell me how many grams of tea are in one teabag? Thanks!
I’m not quite sure Kerry. I use 3 teaspoons for the cupcakes and 4 standard size tea bags for steeping the milk. Hope that helps!
Hi! These look delicious! I was just wondering if I could use an alternative milk to make these?
Hi Isabel. You could also use almond milk, soy milk or rice milk in place of the regular milk in this recipe.
I can’t wait to bake these! But what do you do with the leftover 1/3 cup of milk?? The recipe calls for 1 cup of milk to be heated, then steeped with four Earl Grey tea bags. But then later, the recipe says to measure 2/3 cup of that Earl Grey-infused milk into the cupcake batter…but what do I do with the remaining 1/3 of a cup?? Thanking you in advance!!
Hi Wendy! I LOVE these cupcakes, so I hope you enjoy them as much. You can use the leftover milk to add to your tea.
Hi MaryAnn, I came across your blog from Seasons and Suppers blog, and now I’m a subscriber. I made these cupcakes and they were so delicious. I served them when some lady friends came over for tea and they raved about them. Thanks!
Thanks so much for signing up Mim! So happy you and your friends enjoyed them!