Iced Tea Lemonade Cupcakes

While looking for the perfect summer treat, I stumbled across iced tea cupcakes. Most recipes I found said to brew hot tea for the recipe, but what goes better with summer in the ‘Burgh than Turner’s Premium Iced Tea! So I took this recipe to next level. In order to get the recipe right I had to play around with reducing the tea to right concentration to get that lemony-sweetness (that all Yinzers know and love!) to shine through. So I decided to put some tea into a saucepan and reduce it into a concentrated syrup. Then I replaced some of the liquid ingredients and sugar in the recipe with the iced tea syrup. A friend gave me the tip to dip the cupcakes in the syrup once they come out of the oven but before they cool. In addition to helping the iced tea flavor to pop, this helps keep the cupcakes moist. Topped with a lemon cream cheese icing, these are the perfect summer treat – Turner’s Iced Tea and cupcakes, am I right?!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cupcake:

2 cups Turner’s premium iced tea Find It

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt (pinch of salt)

Icing:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (save some slices and zest for garnish if desired)

Directions:

1. Heat iced tea in small saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3/4 cup. Set aside to chill.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add milk and 1/2 of tea syrup (reserve 1/4 cup of tea syrup for later).
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Sift into wet mixture and mix well.
5. Scoop cupcake mixture into lined muffin tins. Bake for 22 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Remove and allow to fully cool.
6. While cupcakes bake, make icing. In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar until desired thickness. Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
7. Frost cupcakes and garnish with lemon zest and slice of lemon.