Brown Sugar Cupcakes

In theory these were supposed to be rooibos velvet cupcakes. But I went a little heavy on the brown sugar and it ended up dominating. There's still a hint of tea and spice from the rooibos, but it's not nearly as prominent as I'd hoped. In retrospect, I think I probably should've just stuck with white sugar in the batter and relied on the toppings to deliver the caramel-y goodness.

I'll still share what I did this time, just in case brown sugar cupcakes (with a hint of rooibos) are appealing. But I'll also post a(n untested) recipe suggestion below this that will hopefully deliver the actual lightly chocolate-y, rooibos-flavoured cupcakes I was imagining.

Brown Sugar Rooibos Cupcakes

Adapted from a red velvet cake recipe in the Something Awful cake thread

1 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream

2 Tbsp. rooibos chai

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. vinegar

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1. Combine buttermilk and heavy cream and gently warm them.

2. Remove from heat and add tea. Stir and set aside to steep for at least 15 minutes.

3. Cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy.

4. Mix in eggs one at a time.

5. Strain buttermilk mixture and gradually beat it into the butter mixture.

6. Stir in vanilla and vinegar.

7. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.

8. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Do not over mix.

9. Scoop batter into lined cupcake pans. (Should be enough for 24 cupcakes if you don't overfill them like I did mine!)

10. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

11. Allow to cool completely, then frost/decorate as desired.

I had some problems with my buttermilk curdling, even with the added cream/fat to help stabilize it. I think next time I might just use whole milk. Heat it up, add the tea, then add some vinegar and let it steep. And, as for making actual rooibos velvet cupcakes? Well, see below.

Rooibos Velvet Cupcakes (Hopefully!)

Adapted from a red velvet cake recipe found on the Something Awful cake thread

1 1/4 c. whole milk

2 Tbsp. rooibos

5 tsp. vinegar, divided

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1. Gently warm the milk until it is just steaming. (Do not allow to boil!)

2. Add the tea. Stir. Wait 5 minutes. Then add 4 tsp. vinegar. Stir again and set aside for at least 10 more minutes.

3. Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

5. Strain the milk and gradually beat it in to the butter mixture.

6. Stir in the vanilla and the remaining 1 tsp. vinegar.

7. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt.

8. Mix dry ingredients into wet by hand.

9. Scoop batter into lined cupcake pan(s).

10. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.