Sweet Milk Tea Cupcakes

After the popularity of our last nerdy treats, I thought I might share with you another sweet we created for our last convention. There are two main pieces to this cupcake puzzle: Pocky and Milk Tea.

Pocky, as far as I can tell, are little biscuit sticks that are dipped in a chocolaty substance. They're . . . okay. The crunch is satisfying, yes. But, that's about it. The Japanophiles go crazy for the stuff, though. I saw a man toss a package into a crowd, only for it to be torn to bits by kids dressed as assorted Pokemon. Whatever the obsession, it does make a this cupcake a little cuter.

Milk tea comes in tiny packages - open one up, pour it into a cup of boiling water, and you magically have a perfect cup of tea. Filled with tons of sugar. And cream. See? Magic. You may have had milk tea in bubble form, but this time it's in the form of a pretty awesome cupcake.

Sweet Milk Tea Cupcakes

Slightly adapted from Amy's Food Adventures

Makes about 10 cupcakes

2 packs instant milk tea

1/4 cup water

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cups + 1 Tablespoon flour (sifted)

1/4 cup butter (melted)

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a quarter cup of water to a boil (you can just nuke it in the microwave), add your two packs of milk tea into it, and stir until everything all the tea grains are gone. Set aside to cool.

2) With a hand mixer, over a double boiler, whip up the eggs well. Add the sugar slowly as you whip. Whip until your eggs triple in volume (this takes about five minutes on high speed). Take off of heat.

3) Sift in your flour and, with a spatula, fold it in. Next, fold in the milk tea and the melted butter. Fill your cupcake liners with three tablespoons each. Bake for about 17 to 20 minutes, or until the tops have turned golden and your tester comes out clean. Let cool before icing.

Milk Tea Swiss Buttercream with Pocky

6 packets of milk tea (stirred into 3/4 cup of boiling water)

1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup butter, softened and cubed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

one packet of pocky

1) Place egg whites and sugar in a double boiler. With the water simmering, whisk the whites until the sugar grains have all disintegrated. 

2) Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl, careful not to drip any water into the eggs. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they form stiff, glossy peaks. Reduce the mixer speed, and slowly add the butter, one small cubed at a time. Mix until it seems like your mixture has begun to curdle (don't worry, it hasn't!) and then keep mixing until smooth. This will take quite a while, but don't give up!

3) After smooth, slowly incorporate the brewed milk tea. Taste and add more milk tea if needed. Pipe on top of the cupcakes and top with chopped or whole pocky. Enjoy at your local anime con.