A
trip to Bangkok is effortless from Singapore, a mere 2.5 hours away and we’re soaking in
the chaotic, bright and TASTY mess that is Thailand. Thai food is brilliant,
with beautiful punches of lime, lemongrass and chili. I’ve been on
abit of a Thai food kick recently, whipping up elementary Pad Thai / Green
Curry Fried Rice with chicken (recipe to follow soon! ) because the I love the
feisty and rich flavours that are so easy to recreate.
This
cupcake is easy to whip up, and brings me back to 2012 in Chiang Mai. We were
university kids on a volunteer trip and raided the 7-11s like there was no
tomorrow, and I FELL IN LOVE with their Thai ice tea on dispense. Creamy, cool
and sweet, sort of like this cupcake. It’s topped with a frothy, slightly sweet
coconut cream and filled with Speculoos (just because I had some extra… )
Thai
desserts are often themed with coconut, and the pandan extract marries well
with the Thai Tea, but substitute it with coconut extract or give it a miss if
you can’t find it in stores. ( I got mine at a local Phoon Huat)
Rather
excited to share this recipe with my fellow volunteer mates who are actually
coming over for dinner next week, can’t wait to hear what they think!
Thai Tea Cupcakes (Makes 12 cupcakes or
1 9 inch round cake)
· 1/8 cup condensed milk
· 1 cup whole milk
· 3/4 Thai iced tea mix (see note,
below)
· 1 3/8 cups cake flour
· 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
· ½ tsp. salt
· 1 stick (113g) butter, room
temperature
· 3/4 cups sugar
· 2 eggs, room temperature
· ½ tablespoon vanilla
· ¼ teaspoon pandan extract (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 350F.
2.
Whisk together the milk and condensed milk in a medium pot. Heat over medium or
medium-high heat until scalded – steaming with bubbles forming around the edge
– stirring occasionally. Add the tea mix, remove from heat, cover, and let sit
10 minutes. Pour through a sieve to strain out tea leaves. Let the mixture cool
to somewhere between room temperature (a bit warmer is okay, too), using the
refrigerator or freezer to cool down quickly if necessary. You can work on the
next few steps while you’re waiting for the milk mixture to cool down.
3.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
4.
Using an electric mixer (stand or handheld) on medium speed, cream together the
butter and sugar until light and fluffy (mixture should be pale yellow ).Beat
in the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before
adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and pandan extract. Scrape down the beaters and the sides
of the bowl as needed.
5.
Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture. As soon as the
flour is almost incorporated, add half the milk mixture. Repeat with a second
third of the flour mixture, the rest of the milk, then the rest of the flour,
making sure not to overmix after each addition.
6. Give the batter a final stir, scraping
along the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure all lumps are incorporated
and that there are no pockets of dry ingredients hiding in the batter.
7.
Pour the batter into cupcake trays, about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes. When done, the middle of the cake will
spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip and a toothpick or wooden
skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come back with a few crumbs
attached.
8.
To assemble, core the cupcakes ¾ way through with an apple corer or
paring knife. Using teaspoons, gently spoon speculoos spread into the cupcakes.
Seal the hole with leftover crumbs. Top with a scoop of whipped cream and use a
spatula to make random swirls. Sprinkle on leftover crumbs.
· 1 cup heavy whipping cream
· ½ cup coconut cream
· ½ teaspoon vanilla
1. Beat the whipping cream, coconut cream
and vanilla in a bowl on high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy
and small peaks form.
2. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
Cold cream can be rewhipped if it becomes too firm in the fridge.
Baker’s Notes
1. Use real ground Thai tea and not the
instant mix.
2. The coconut cream is GENIUS, frothy
and lightly sweetened. It does not need any extra sugar.
