大象传媒

By Becky English, 听

These rose-tea flavoured cupcakes are very easy to make and would be a perfect homemade gift for valentine鈥檚 day.听

Makes 6-8 cupcakes听

20 mins prep time, plus chilling overnight the another 30-40 mins baking & decorating.听

For the cupcakes:

200g stork / softened butter

200g caster sugar

3-4 eggs

200g self raising flour

Birdhouse Coles Corner tea or another loose fruit tea, ideally made with rosehips & berries

Rose petals听听

Bakers note: the radio of the cupcake ingredients should balance into quarters of equal weight (eggs/sugar/butter/flour plus ground tea)- so make sure to weigh your eggs first and adjust the other ingredients. Remember the flour and ground tea should be weighed together as one.听

For the buttercream:

150g stork / softened butter

300g icing sugar听

Birdhouse Coles Corner tea or another loose fruit tea, ideally made with rosehips & berries

Rose petals听听

Buttercream:听

You鈥檒l need to start this a several hours or the night before to allow the butter to set.

In a pan melt the butter before adding loose leaf tea and steeping for 5 minutes.

Strain off the tea and reset the butter in the fridge (you could pour into an ice cube tray for handy portions)听

Once it has set, and the cakes are ready, cream the butter with icing sugar on full speed until light and fluffy.

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Grab roughly 2 tsp of tea and grind in a pestle and mortar until fine.

Then weigh your eggs and match all the other ingredients to that weight (see baker鈥檚 note).

In a bowl with a mixer beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

Scrape mixture away from the sides of the bowl and into the centre of the bowl.

Set your mixer to a slow setting and add gradually add alternate spoons of the the flour & tea mix (no need to sieve), and eggs to the butter and sugar mix.

Once it鈥檚 all combined and smooth, use an ice cream scoop to decant one scoop of mixture per cupcake case (we like to use silicon muffin cases instead).听

Decoration:

Whip up your butter cream using the instructions above. Use a piping bag and nozzle to swirl the buttercream over the cooled cupcake before scattering with rose petals.

By Anna Duszanskyj, 听

Three ways to enjoy tea without a mug and not a drop of milk in sight!听

Fruit tea G&T听

Takes 2-3 hours.听

Makes a bottle!听听

Steep 5 heaped teaspoons of Cole鈥檚 Corner tea (or another loose fruit tea, ideally made with rosehips & berries)听in one bottle of gin for 1 - 2 hours.

When you鈥檙e ready to serve, strain and serve with a plain tonic, ice and edible flowers.听

Rhubarb Tea Bellini听

Makes as much as you like!听

Make a sugar syrup with 1 parts sugar to 2 parts strained rhubarb tea. Add to a small saucepan and slowly heat until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has thickened slightly.听

Allow to cool.听

Pour a glass of sparkling wine and add tsp of the cooled sugar syrup. Add more or less depending on how 鈥渞hubarb鈥� & pink you want it!听

Pop a fresh raspberry in the glass and serve.听

Strawberry Lace Ice Tea听

Make a pot of Strawberry Lace tea. Remember with fruit teas, add just-boiled water and steep for at least five minutes.听

Strain and set aside.听

Make a sugar syrup with one parts sugar to two water. Pop in small sauce pan & heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has thickened slightly.听

Add one tbsp sugar syrup per cup of fruit tea.听

Leave to cool adding ice and any pink fruit you have when ready to serve.

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