London Fog Cupcakes

Directions

• Vanilla Chiffon Cupcake
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 24 muffins cups with cupcake liners and set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and earl grey tea. Set aside.
• Place the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar into a stand mixer and whisk on high for 2 minutes until the mixture becomes pale yellow. Whisk in water, canola oil and vanilla to combine. Add dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Transfer batter to a mixing bowl.
• In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites on high until it becomes foamy. Decrease speed to low and gradually add 1/3 cup sugar. Increase speed to high and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
• Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter and whisk until combined. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
• Using a melon baller or cupcake corer, remove core of cupcakes. Set aside.
• Earl Grey Custard
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, sugar and cornstarch over medium heat. Add in earl grey tea bag. Bring milk to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and remove tea bags.
• Whisk 2 tablespoons of hot milk into eggs. Then add egg mixture to milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly.
• Return pan to heat and whisk gently until custard thickens, approximately 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Place in refrigerator to cool completely.
• Fill a piping bag with the cooled custard. Pipe the custard into cored cupcakes.
• Earl Grey-infused Whipped Cream
• In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream and earl grey tea over medium heat for approximately 3-4 minutes. Do NOT boil. Remove from pan and strain cream through a mesh strainer to remove tea leaves. Place in refrigerator to cool completely.
• Once whipping cream is cooled, add cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a bowl. Whisk on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until medium to stiff peaks form. Do not over mix.
• Fill a piping bag with the infused whipped cream. Pipe whipped cream onto the cupcakes. Cupcakes are best served immediately or within 1-2 days if refrigerated.