Earl Grey Tea Mini Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Frosting

Lately, I increasingly wish I could just curl up on the couch with some tea and a good book or one of those movies you watch over and over because it somehow brings you comfort. Maybe it's the chill in the air lately or how suddenly the sun is blazing through the window at 6:30 in the morning or perhaps the passing of Halloween signaling an official entrance to the holiday season. The habitual Starbucks drinkers in class now arrive with cheery red and white holiday cups and stores are shamelessly pushing their Christmas merchandise (though perhaps less so than those stores that were selling Christmas decor in Sepetember!). Regardless the reason, these mini-cupcakes are sure to brighten up a chilly day.

On Halloween we had quite a large exam. To celebrate surviving said exam, we had a little Jane Austen tea party for which I made these cupcakes. I know, I know Jane Austen and Halloween don't exactly mix, unless you include Pride & Prejudice & Zombies or Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters, but it was the perfect post-exam pick me up shindig.

These cupcakes taste very much like Earl Grey tea and are delicious un-frosted and fresh from the oven. I decided on a honey butter cream because I am not a fan of citrus-y desserts, but a lemon glaze or lemon frosting would also go wonderfully. This was my first time making mini-cupcakes; in fact I went across the street to Tar-jay and got a mini-muffin pan specifically for this purpose. I forgot to pick up some mini liners, but liners are non-essential. This recipe could be adapted to use any kind of tea you are particularly fond of at the moment. Unlike many recipes for tea-inspired cupcakes I have come across, I brewed tea rather than using tea leaves themselves.

Earl Grey Tea Mini Cupcakes
Ingredients 
3/4 c. milk
2 bags Earl Grey tea (or any tea of your choice)
1 7/8 c AP flour - When you measure out the 2nd cup, remove 2 tablespoons from the full  cup
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (leave out if using salted butter)
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter at room temp.
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
2 eggs at room temp.

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350 F. Prepare mini muffin tin either with paper lines or with butter/cooking spray.
2. Bring milk to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, add the tea bags and steep, covered, for 15 minutes. When removing the tea bags, squeeze over the pan (careful not to burn yourself) to get all the flavor out. Allow mixture to cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, corn starch, salt & baking powder in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated. While mixing on low, add the flour mixture in three parts alternating with the tea-infused milk in two additions (so flour mix - milk- flour - milk -flour). Beat until just combined after each addition.
4. Fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake 10-12 minutes until tops are pale golden and spring back lightly when touched. If you think of it, rotate the tins halfway through to even out the unevenness of most ovens. Cool completely before frosting. 

Honey Butter Cream Frosting
Note: This recipe is for a half batch of frosting. It made enough to frost around 30 mini cupcakes with some frosting left over.

Ingredients
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 c powered sugar
3 tbsp cream or milk, plus extra as needed (I used half & half)  
1/4 to 1/2 c honey - 1/2 c will give a very strong honey flavor. Don't forget to spray the measuring cup so the honey slides out after measuring.

Directions
1. Cream the butter with a mixer. Gradually work in the sugar. Add cream/milk in between additions of sugar. Beat well after each addition.
2. Stir in the honey. Adjust consistency as needed. If it needs to be firmed up a bit, cooling it for a short time in the fridge or freezer may help.