Earl Grey Cupcakes in Teacups.

The delicate flavour of Earl Grey can be tasted in every bite of these elegant cupcakes, perfect for a lazy afternoon with big cup of tea and a pile of magazines to drool over!

I used a recipe from the Primrose Bakery which is simple to follow and the cakes taste divine! :

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (Fan) / 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F / Gas Mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases
• Gently heat up 125ml of milk (I used Semi Skimmed) in a saucepan over a medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add 4 Earl grey tea bags. Cover the saucepan with clingfilm and let the flavours from the tea bags infuse the milk for 30 minutes, then discard the teabags.
• Cream together 110g unsalted butter with 225g golden caster sugar until pale and smooth
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of Almond extract and then slowly add 2 lightly whisked large organic eggs, mixing for a few minuted after each addition.
• Mix 125g of sifted Self Raising Flour with 120g sifted Plain Flour in a bowl. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in one-third of the infused milk and beat again. Repeat these steps until all of the milk and flour has been added.
• Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 minuted until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of one of the cakes - it should come out clean.
• Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tin for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool. Once they are completely cool decorate with lilac coloured vanilla butter cream and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar.

Or you could bake and serve your cupcakes in teacup-shaped silicone molds like I have shown here. I received a small box of these cute molds in my Christmas Stocking ... Santa really does know me well and knew I would put them to good use!! I am not sure where he purchased them from but they are made by a company called 'Fred' :)

All you need to do is lightly grease the insides before adding the cake batter, just like with the paper cases you just need to fill to two-thirds full. The cooking temperatures and time to bake stay the same ..... and there you have it.... beautiful Earl Grey cupcakes in teacups .....

I finished mine with a big swirl of lilac - coloured vanilla bean butter cream, a signature Sweet Marie's sugar heart and a sprinkling of vanilla sugar.

How civilised .... adorable, dainty and perfectly poised!!