These Earl Grey Cupcakes are undetectably vegan, have big Earl Grey tea flavor, and taste like a London fog! They are super moist and are easy to make, so this recipe is perfect for beginner bakers.
It's no secret that I love baking with tea. I love to add matcha powder to cookie dough or cake batter to make Vegan Matcha White Chocolate Cookies and Vegan Matcha Cake. And I love to add Earl Grey infused milk to a quick bread like my Earl Grey Yogurt Loaf.
Today, we're adding another tea recipe to the list with these Earl Grey Cupcakes! These cupcakes are tender and moist and packed with Earl Grey flavor from infused milk. And they are topped with a fluffy vanilla frosting that makes them taste like a London fog! So let's make them.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is super simple to make, so its great for beginner bakers!
- The flavor in these cupcakes comes from steeping Earl Grey tea. No special extracts of flavorings are required.
- These Earl Grey Cupcakes are vegan, eggless and dairy-free, so anyone can enjoy them.
- They bake up super tender and moist.
- And most importantly, they are absolutely delicious!
Ingredient Notes
Earl Grey Tea: I like Twinnings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea for this cupcake recipe. It has a bold flavor that comes through nicely. If you can't find loose leaf Earl Grey tea, use tea bags. Simply cut them open and measure the tea from there.
Non-Dairy Milk: I used oat milk, but any non-dairy milk will work.
Vanilla Extract: A big dose of vanilla extract in the cupcake batter and in the frosting makes these cupcakes taste like a London fog!
Vegan Butter: I like Soy-Free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks and Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. First, combine non-dairy milk and tea leaves in a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture boils. Cover the saucepan and remove it from heat. Allow the tea to steep for 7 minutes.
Step 2. Next, place a small mesh strainer over a measuring cup. Pour the mixture through the strainer, them press the tea leaves with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid.
Then, add as much non-dairy milk as necessary to ensure there is ¾ cup of liquid. Place the tea-infused milk in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool.
Step 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, tea-infused milk, canola oil, vinegar and vanilla. Whisk well to combine.
Step 4. Then, add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to form the batter.
Step 5. Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to portion the batter into a lined cupcake tin. Fill each liner about ⅔ of the way full.
Step 6. Bake the Earl Grey Cupcakes in a 350* F oven for 19-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Step 7. Next, make the frosting by creaming vegan butter until completely smooth. Then, add powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Finally, add vanilla and non-dairy milk and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Step 8. Use a butter knife to spread the frosting or a pastry bag fitted with your favorite piping tip to pipe frosting onto the cupcakes and serve!
Recipe FAQs
Place the cupcakes into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes! But if you can't have caffeine, don't worry. There are plenty of caffeine-free Earl Grey teas available.
Earl Grey is black tea that has been flavored with bergamot. Bergamot is a variety of citrus that has a very citrusy and floral flavor.
Expert Recipe Tips
Be sure that the Earl Grey Cupcakes are completely cool before topping them with frosting. Frosting melts easily, so if the cupcakes are even a little bit warm, you will be left with a big mess!
Don't forget to add a little more milk to the tea-infused milk after straining the tea leaves out.
Looking for More Vegan Dessert Recipes?
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📖 Recipe
Earl Grey Cupcakes (Vegan!)
Equipment
- 1 Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 1 Quart Saucepan
- 1 Small Mesh Strainer
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Cupcake Tin
- 12 Parchment Cupcake Liners
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
For the Earl Grey Cupcakes
- ¾ Cup Non-Dairy Milk
- 5 teaspoon Earl Grey Tea
- 1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt half this amount if using table salt!
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Canola Oil
- 2 teaspoon White Vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
For the Vanilla Frosting
- 8 tablespoon Vegan Butter, room temperature
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Make the Tea Infused Milk
- Combine non-dairy milk and tea leaves in a small saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture boils. Then, cover and remove from heat and allow the tea to steep for 7 minutes.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a liquid measuring cup. Pour the tea mixture through the strainer. Then, use the back of a spoon to press the tea leaves to extract as much liquid as you can. Then, add non-dairy milk to bring the liquid amount back up to ¾ of a cup. See note!
- Place the tea-infused milk in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool.
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350* F. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, tea-infused milk, canola oil, vinegar and vanilla. Whisk well to combine. Then, add the dry ingredients and whisk to form the batter.
- Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to portion the batter into a lined cupcake tin, filling each liner about ⅔ of the way full. Then, bake the cupcakes in a 350* F oven for 19-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Vanilla Frosting
- In a large bowl using a hand-mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter until completely smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Then, add the non-dairy milk and vanilla and mix on medium until light and fluffy.
Frost the Cupcakes
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a butter knife to spread frosting onto the cupcakes or use a pastry bag fitted with your favorite piping tip to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Serve!
Caitlin says
Absolutely amazing! These cupcakes have just the right strength of Earl grey flavor and paired with the vanilla buttercream they are heaven. I only had bagged tea and it took about 6 tea bags to get the right measurement of tea leaves.