Milk Tea Cupcakes with Boba Pearls
Milk tea and boba are such popular drink options these days, so I just had to turn them into a delicious dessert. With these milk tea cupcakes, we’re using black tea infused evaporated milk to add flavor to our batter. Then we’re topping the cupcakes with brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream and boba pearls.
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Milk Tea Cupcakes Breakdown
I looove how these cupcakes turned out because the black tea cupcake pairs perfectly with creamy brown sugar buttercream. And then boba on top?! It’s a perfect combo. While these cupcakes are not complicated to make, we will need to prep several different elements.
Okay, so on our milk tea cupcakes checklist, we’ve got to make black tea cupcakes, brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream, and whip up a small batch of brown sugar boba. Let’s dive in!
Black Tea Infusion
Milk tea and boba most frequently involve pairing a black tea with brown sugar, so those are some of the flavors I knew I wanted to use in these cupcakes. The brown sugar also adds moisture, which I love.
To make the black tea infusion, I brought evaporated milk and water to a simmer, then let a couple of bags of English breakfast tea steep in the warm mixture before straining and reserving a cup of the infused liquid.
Top Tips for Cupcakes
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help everything blend nicely and give your cupcakes a nice texture.
- Scrape down your bowl often to make sure everything gets blended.
- Do NOT over mix. Once you add the wet and dry ingredients, only mix to combine.
- Place some dried rice (½ – 1 teaspoon) in the bottom of each cupcake cavity before adding your paper cases.
- Use a large cookie scoop to perfectly portion your cupcake batter.
Recipe Swaps
I decided to experiment with evaporated milk because I wanted to really lean into the whole “milk tea” vibe of this cupcake. Plus, I had some leftover from a pancake recipe. Anywho, if you don’t want to use evaporated milk, just use whole milk.
While I went with a fairly basic black tea, English breakfast, you could go crazy and use your favorite variety. In my opinion, earl grey or chai would be yummy. They would change the flavor profile a bit, but I see no reason why they would not knock your socks off.
Related Reading: Mini Chocolate Earl Grey Tarts
Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream
I used brown sugar in the meringue for my cookie dough macarons and basically fell in love. This time around I used just brown sugar and no white sugar. It adds sooooo much flavor to the frosting.
If you’re not used to a meringue based buttercream, just be aware that it is creamier and more buttery than a traditional American buttercream. It’s also less sweet, which is great in my opinion. If it tastes too much like butter, whip it on high for a few more minutes, then taste again. You’ll notice a big difference.
Top Tips for Meringue
- Wipe your bowl and whisk with a bit of vinegar to remove any residual fat or grease.
- Separate your egg whites one at a time into a small bowl before adding them to your big bowl. This is to prevent any stray yolk from ruining the whole batch!
- Whip your eggs at a medium speed for longer to create a more stable meringue and minimize the risk of over whipping.
- Room temperature egg whites will whip up faster, but it’s best to separate the eggs while they’re cold.
Brown Sugar Boba
If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could absolutely make your own boba from scratch. I have not done this, but Joshua Weissman has a recipe that looks pretty good. Nope, I just bought my favorite uncooked boba on Amazon.
They come as dried boba pearls, and all you have to do is make a brown sugar syrup (totes easy) and cook the boba pearls on the stove top (totes easy). They will harden a few hours after being cooked, so make them about an hour before serving.
Related Reading: Dirty Matcha Macarons
Milk Tea Cupcake Assembly
Yay! We’ve got everything ready, now we just need to throw it all together. I used a 1M piping tip to make a nest on my cupcakes. Start like you’re making a rosette, then continue up to build a wall as a second layer. If that’s confusing, check out how I piped my mini pavlovas in this video. Same idea, just on a small scale.
Now you can gently spoon some boba pearls into your nest of brown sugar buttercream. Try to keep it contained inside the nest, but if there’s any spillage, no one will complain. Serve the assembled cupcakes within an hour for optimal boba texture.
Freezer Confession
I’m writing this post in July, but I actually made the cupcakes and the buttercream back in April or May. The idea smacked me in the face and I just had to make them right away! But then I got busy and had to wrap them up and chuck them in the freezer.
Several months later and they taste as fresh as the day I baked them! I wrapped the unfrosted cupcakes in cling wrap, then placed them in a freezer bag. The brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream went into a freezer bag with the air squeezed out. I love freezers.
Enjoy!
Dig into your milk tea cupcakes with boba pearls and let the waves of deliciousness wash over you. There’s the caramely cupcake with subtle hints of earthy black tea, the buttery, caramely buttercream, and then the chewy brown sugar boba. A medley of flavors and textures.
Make sure to share this recipe with a friend who also loves a delicious milk tea! I hope you guys enjoy this unique cupcake recipe as much as I do. Happy Baking XOXO
Milk Tea Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
Milk Tea Cupcakes
- 4 fl oz evaporated milk
- 6 fl oz water
- 4 bags black tea
- 4 oz all purpose flour
- 2 oz cake flour
- 2 Tbsps instant vanilla pudding mix optional
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 oz brown sugar
- 4 oz white sugar
- 2 fl oz canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 3 egg whites
- 8 oz brown sugar
- 9 oz unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of salt optional
Brown Sugar Boba
- 1.5 oz uncooked boba pearls
- 4 fl oz water
- 4 oz brown sugar
Instructions
Milk Tea Cupcakes
- Combine evaporated milk and water in a small pot. Bring to a bare simmer. Remove from the heat and add the black tea bags. Cover and steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and measure out 8 fl oz of the milk tea mixture. Set aside to cool to room temperature, or store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with paper cases. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flours, pudding mix (if using), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine both sugars, room temperature milk tea, oil, vanilla, and egg. Use an immersion blender or a whisk to combine the wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined. A few small lumps are okay.
- Use a large scoop to divide the batter among the cupcake paper cases. Bake 20 minutes or until they spring back when poked (a skewer should come out clean).
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before assembling.
Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Place the egg whites and brown sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Whisk to combine and place the bowl over a pot with an inch or two of simmering water. Do not let the water touch the bowl.
- Heat the egg whites to 140°F, whisking regularly. This could take about 10 minutes. Once warm enough, the mixture will be thick and white. Scrape it into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Whip on high until the bowl is room temperature, about 20 minutes. You can pack the bowl with frozen veggies or ice to help it cool down. If the meringue is still warm after 20 minutes, pop the bowl and attachment into the fridge for 5- 10 minutes, then whip until room temperature.
- Drop the speed to medium- high and slowly add butter roughly one tablespoon at a time. If the mixture is too warm and begins melting the butter, pop the bowl in the fridge to chill for about 5 minutes, then try again. After all the butter is incorporated, whip on a high speed for 5 minutes.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and add the vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until fully combined. Taste, and if needed, add a pinch of salt. If the flavor is too buttery, whip on high for several minutes.
Brown Sugar Boba
- Fill a medium pot with 2- 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the boba to the boiling water and cook until they begin to float, stirring occasionally. Drop the temperature to medium and cook for 12- 15 minutes. Then remove from the heat and cover. Let the boba sit for another 12- 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the brown sugar syrup while the boba cook. In a small pot, add the water and brown sugar. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, pour the syrup into a small heatproof container.
- When the boba are done, strain the pearls out of the water and add them to the brown sugar syrup. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Use within 1- 2 hours.
Assembly
- Pipe a nest of frosting using a 1M tip. Start in the center of the cupcake and make a rosette, continue piping another layer upwards to create a border or bowl shape. Carefully spoon in a few boba pearls, making sure the boba are not hot first. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cooked boba will harden within just a few hours of cooking. Make the pearls and assemble the cupcakes within an hour of serving.
- To make mini cupcakes, use a scant tablespoon of batter per cupcake. Bake at 350F for 13- 15 minutes.
My Favorite Products For This Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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