Chocolate Tea Cakes with Earl Grey Icing

I follow a great blog called Food & Whine. She is always posting great recipes for all kinds of things - desserts, main courses, snacks, ketchup, etc! Every time I read a new post I learn something or find another recipe I want to try. When I saw these chocolate tea cakes with earl grey icing, I just knew I had to try them. I'm really excited to share this recipe with you because they were SO good. Its not just me who thinks so! I baked them for a volunteer meeting I was attending and people eagerly devoured them with such comments as "sublime", "delicious", "amazing"... the list goes on! So these are definitely worth a try - even if the idea of earl grey icing freaks you out! Just TRY them. :) I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Chocolate Tea Cakes with Earl Grey Icing

Recipe from Food & Whine

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tea bags Earl Grey tea

Method:

1. Make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 18 regular-sized muffin pans with paper liners (or 48 mini-muffin). Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Whisk until smooth, then remove the bowl; keep the water simmering in the saucepan. In another bowl, whisk the sugar, flour and salt; mix into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs, one at a time, then whisk in the vanilla until smooth.
2. Divide the batter among the prepared cups, filling each three-quarters of the way. Bake until the cakes spring back when touched, 15 to 18 minutes (mine took longer, probably about 22 or 23 minutes. Be sure to test with a toothpick regularly so they are neither under or over-cooked. Toothpick will come out clean when they are ready). Remove from the pans and cool on a rack.
3. Meanwhile, make the icing: Whisk the sugar, egg whites, lemon juice and salt by hand in the bowl of a stand mixer. Empty the tea bags and add the loose tea to the bowl, then set the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot and the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the mixture holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag (or piping bag fitted with a large round tip if you have one), snip the corner and pipe the icing onto the cupcakes.
   
   
   

I especially love the look of these cute little cakes once the fluffy, dreamy looking icing has been piped onto them. They are just so adorable looking, especially once you put them on a nice plate. I had a few people look at me skeptically when I mentioned the icing was Earl Grey... but once they tried the cakes, they lost any skepticism and eagerly took a second cake. :) I would encourage you to try out this recipe (and check out Food & Whine where I found the recipe). Thanks Jen for sharing this great recipe!

Happy Baking my Friends!