FIRST Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge

Tea!

I don't blog about my food. Yet. But I love cupcakes enough to attempt to think up my own. And the Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge sounds too fun to pass up.

I'm a Texas girl in almost every aspect. And I've been drinking sweet tea for...ever. My mom makes the best sweet tea. Not just cause she's my mom either. You can ask any number of my friends, many will say the same. I dunno why hers tastes better than any restaurant. But it does.

So that's what inspired my cupcake. Plus a small obsession with Sonic's raspberry tea. I made a Sweet Tea cupcake topped with Raspberry-Lemon Iced tea frosting.

Sweet Tea Cupcakes with Raspberry-Lemon Iced Tea frosting

for cupcakes:

1/2 cup milk (soy milk, half and half, 2%, your choice)

8 standard size tea bags

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

for frosting:

3 sleeves instant iced tea with lemon powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp raspberry extract

approx 2 cups powdered sugar

1 tbs heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. Line 12-cup muffin pan with liners.

Heat milk in microwave for 30-45 seconds. Place all 8 tea bags in milk and force down to absorb all liquid. Let this steep for at least 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl mix together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Stir in milk/tea mixture until well blended. Then add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine.

Divide into a 12-cup muffin pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

To prepare frosting:

Beat butter, iced tea powder, salt and raspberry extract for approximately 1 minute. Then add powdered sugar and beat slowly to avoid being covered in sweet, sugary dust (unless you like that sort of thing). Add heavy cream if frosting needs thinning.

Frost cupcakes when cool.

I'm so excited to be entering this contest! Check out the details here: http://www.sweetestkitchen.com/mysterybox/

And look at all these awesome prizes!

The winner of July’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:

• Bake It Pretty; $5 electronic gift card


• Beanilla; Tahitian vanilla fleur de sel & 3 organic Indonesian vanilla beans


• Rishi Tea; the new Tsuki tea pot and 2 tins of tea


• Soapylove Glycerin Soap Design; a Soapy Pop


• Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25

Thank you to all our prize sponsors!