Thai Tea Cupcakes

Thai iced tea is often a love or hate relationship. It's a strong orange colored concoction that can send one into sugar shock with only one sip. I happen to love it. I wondered if the flavors would translate into a dessert-green tea cupcakes are divine so Thai tea cupcakes have an amazing precedent. Magnolia Bakery in the Village (NYC) has cupcakes worth lining up for, so I used a variation of their basic vanilla cupcake recipe as a springboard.


Thai Tea Cupcakes

3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup thai tea syrup(instructions below)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

Add 1/4 cup thai tea leaves to 1 cup boiling water--let steep 4 minutes and strain. Add strained tea to saucepan and reduce to 1/4 cup-about 15 minutes. When cool, add milk and vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Vanilla Icing

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar on an as-needed basis, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency.

The flavors were somewhat subtle, but the color really came through. I am wondering how to infuse a bit more of the Thai tea flavor...I don't think there is a powdered matcha style equivalent of Thai tea. Perhaps I'll try incorporating a Thai tea filling next time. These were still pretty yummy little cupcakes.