Lemon Earl Grey Cupcakes Recipe

Cupcakes with lemon frosting and lemon slice garnish cooling on a wire rack.

Lemon Earl Grey Cupcakes Recipe

Vegan lemon Earl Grey cupcakes with soft crumb and lemon buttercream frosting. Light, fragrant, and perfect for afternoon tea.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings serves

Calories 248kcal

Ingredients

¾ cup oat milk 180 g
4 teaspoons Earl Grey tea leaves finely ground (5 g)
2 cups all-purpose flour 240 g
2 teaspoons baking powder 8 g
½ teaspoon baking soda 2 g
½ teaspoon fine sea salt 3 g
¾ cup granulated sugar 150 g
6 tablespoons neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or sunflower (90 g)
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 75 g
1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 g

Frosting

½ cup vegan butter or margarine softened (115 g)
2 cups powdered sugar 240 g
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt 1 g
1 tablespoon lemon zest 6 g

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/175 C. Line ½ cup/120ml wells in a cupcake pan with liners.

Make the cake:

Warm the oat milk over gentle heat in a sauce pan. Do not boil. Sprinkle the ground earl grey tea in and stir. Set aside to steep for 3 min minutes.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to evenly distribute everything.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed (or a hand whisk) until smooth and well combined.
Add the steeped oat milk. Beat until combined.
Add the lemon juice and zest. Whisk well.
Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined and no lumps remain.
Pour into prepared cupcake wells (about 1/3 cup/78ml per well) and shake to level.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin for at least 5 minutes before removing and allow to cool completely.

Make the frosting:

Combine all the vegan butter, salt, lemon zest, and half the powdered sugar in a bowl.
Beat with a hand mixer on low speed, slowly incorporating the rest of the powdered sugar.
Increase the speed and beat until very fluffy, 3-5 minutes.

Assemble the cupcakes:

Pipe or spread the frosting on. Garnish with fresh or candied lemon zest.
Serve immediately or can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Individual cupcakes can be stored in the freezer (wrapped individually in plastic before being placed in an airtight container) for up to 1 month.

Notes

Texture/taste Notes: Vegan earl grey and lemon cupcakes topped with easy lemon buttercream frosting. Soft and tender cupcakes with aromatic tea and fresh lemon flavours. The lightly sweet and fragrant cake pairs well with the sweet and tangy frosting that comes together easily. Uses an easy buttercream frosting made with vegan butter or margarine. You wouldn’t believe that the light cupcakes with their delicate crumb are vegan.

Tea leaves: If using whole/loose leaf tea, grind in a spice grinder or mortar. Tea from tea bags is more likely to be fine already but may need more grinding. If worried about texture, strain most of the tea out before adding to batter. If strained, the tea flavour will be lighter.

Make filled cupcakes: For extra flavour, cupcakes can be filled with vegan lemon curd or raspberry jam. To fill, cut out a 1”/2.5cm cone from the top of the cupcake, and cut off most of the cone so there is just a medallion to cap the space. Fill with a dollop of curd or jam and place the cap of cupcake on to seal before frosting.

Make it a large cake: Bake in a 9”/23cm square baking pan for 28-33 minutes or divide between two 8”/20cm round baking pans for 25-30 minutes. Double the frosting to completely cover a cake.

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