Tea lovers out there, try making these moist blackberry Earl Grey cupcakes! These cupcakes are swirled with Earl Grey tea leaves and pan roasted blackberries before being topped off with a blackberry cream cheese frosting. They are a perfect afternoon dessert for when you need a sweet and elegant pick-me-up.
Blackberry Earl Grey Cupcakes
I’ve been testing all sorts of blackberry desserts over the past week, and the one that really stuck with me were these Blackberry Earl Grey Cupcakes. Baking with tea can be tricky, since the flavor can so easily disappear in the process. However, the citrusy floral flavors of Earl Grey are the star of the show here. And the blackberry? It’s a perfect accompaniment to the main attraction.
One of the secrets to getting the tea flavors to come through is by putting actual tea leaves into the batter. You can think of the loose leaf tea as just another type of dried herb. Use it much like you would oregano or cardamom in cooking. We also steep tea bags in hot milk as one of the first steps in this recipe to create a concentrated, milky tea that gives moisture and richness to the cupcakes.
In the batter, we also swirl in some pan roasted blackberries to give these both a lovely color and flavor. The cupcake is topped off with a blackberry cream cheese frosting, which adds a nice sweet tanginess to every bite.
These cupcakes would be perfect to enjoy with an actual cup of tea. Or, go nuts and have them with coffee because two forms of caffeine > one.
Ingredients Needed
For the Blackberry Earl Grey Cupcakes
Here are the ingredients you will need for the cupcakes as well as some words of advice!
- 3 Earl Grey tea bags: use your favorite brand! Two bags will be steeped in milk and leaves from the third bag will be used in the batter. If you prefer to use loose leaf tea, make sure to grind ½ tsp of it up finely, as we will be mixing this directly into the batter.
- Hot milk: make sure the milk is very hot but not quite boiling. Earl grey tea actually steeps best at 208 degrees, which is just below boiling. Boiling milk can actually burn the tea, which impacts the flavors.
- Blackberries: either fresh or frozen will work. We will be roasting them in a pan, and the same batch of pan roasted berries will be used for both the batter and the frosting.
- Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- Granulated cane sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Greek yogurt or sour cream, also at room temperature
- One large egg and one large egg white, you guessed it, also at room temperature. I like to let eggs rest in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to bring them up to room temp.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt
For the Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened: make sure to use the kind from the block and not the tub.
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Roasted blackberry juice
How to Pan Roast Blackberries
Instead of dropping whole blackberries into the batter, we roast and lightly mash them. This both helps bring out the flavors, but also evenly spreads the blackberries throughout the batter. You’ll be beautiful purple swirls and little bits of blackberry in every bite.
- If you are using fresh blackberries, start by washing and drying them. If using frozen, skip this step.
- Place the blackberries into a skillet on the stovetop and turn it to medium heat.
- Roast the blackberries over medium heat, stirring occasionally to evenly heat them.
- Once the blackberries soften, are releasing their juices, and bubbling, turn off the heat. Gently mash them with a fork or bottom of a spoon, leaving a few chunks in there.
- Transfer the blackberries to a separate bowl to cool down.
Some of this blackberry mixture will go straight into the cupcake batter. However, for the frosting, press any remaining blackberries that are not used in the batter through a fine mesh strainer to extract the juice. Discard the seeds.
Are These Cupcakes Caffeinated?
Yes. There is loose leaf tea and well as steeped Earl Grey tea straight in the batter. Unless you want to be up until 2 in the morning, perhaps best not to eat these at night! However, for afternoon tea, daytime celebrations, or a desire to chew your caffeine? Absolutely.
Tips for Making Cupcakes
- Don’t over-mix the batter: When you are folding in the flour, make sure to mix it until it is just combined. Over-mixing can lead to tough, gummy cupcakes. One thing I like to do is to scrape down the sides of my mixing bowl consistently throughout the entire process. This will help you catch anything that’s not properly blended.
- Use warm or room temperature ingredients: Make sure all of the ingredients that are normally kept in the fridge are at room temperature. Cold ingredients do not incorporate as well, and can impact the final texture of the cupcakes.
- Let the cupcakes cool: make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt and slide right off. Especially with a softer frosting like this cream cheese frosting, this is very important. In addition, when you first take the cupcakes out of the oven, let them rest in the cupcake pans for 10 minutes so that they can set.
How to Store
Store these blackberry cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. They will be good for 3-4 days.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, rating, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful Earl Grey cupcakes!
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over any image in this post (pick your favorite), or tap if you’re on mobile, and click the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
Have fun baking and check out some other cake and cupcake recipes here!
Let’s also connect on Instagram and/or Pinterest!
Roasted Blackberry Earl Grey Cupcakes
Roasted Blackberry Earl Grey Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ½ cup hot milk
- 3 Earl Grey tea bags
- 3 tbsp Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup fresh or frozen blackberries
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg white, at room temperature
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz plain cream cheese, softened
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp roasted blackberry juice
Instructions
Prep
- Take 2 of the Earl Grey tea bags and steep them in the hot milk for five minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the milk cool down until just warm to the touch. Then, stir in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and vanilla extract.
- Pan roast the blackberries. Place the blackberries into a nonstick skillet over slightly higher than medium heat. Roast the blackberries in the pan, stirring occasionally, until the blackberries are soft and start to break down and release their juices. Turn off the heat, transfer the berries into a shallow bowl, and use a spoon or fork to gently mash them, leaving some larger chunks.
- Let the blackberries cool completely. Half of this mixture will be used for the cupcakes and the remainder will be used for the frosting.
Batter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with liners.
- In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter and sugar together on medium speed until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add the egg, followed by the egg white, and then the Earl Grey milk mixture, beating until smooth between each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Then cut open the third Earl Grey tea bag and whisk in ½ tsp of the tea leaves into the flour as well.
- Add the flour mixture to your wet ingredients and fold on low speed until the flour is just combined.
- Take ¼ cup of your roasted blackberries and use a flexible spatula to gently swirl them into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 lined cupcake tins. Bake for 19-21 minutes, or until cupcakes are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
Frosting
- Take the remaining roasted blackberries (whatever you did not use for the cupcakes) and press them through a fine mesh strainer to get all the juices out. Dispose of the seeds.
- In an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until combined. Then add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Continue beating on medium-high speed for around two minutes, then add 1 tbsp of the blackberry juice and continue to beat for another 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Pause to scrape down the sides of your bowl if needed.
- Frost the cupcakes! I used Wilton's 2D tip. You may have some blackberry juice leftover, and if you do feel free to drizzle some on top of the cupcakes. Enjoy!
Made these for my birthday and the family LOVED them. This may be my husbands favorite cake. I was very surprised I thought that the boys would be unimpressed but the husband unit can not stop talking about it.