Something like these white chocolate, honey, and chamomile cupcakes:
I’m lucky enough to live in Portland, Oregon, where ridiculous* things like artisan supermarkets and specialty food stores are in abundance.
And one of my biggest weaknesses is, yep, artisan chocolate. And you’ll bet that every supermarket a stone’s throw away from me sells a ton of such chocolate — you know the kind. Gourmet, small batch, local, fairtrade, buzzword, buzzword, etc.
And yes, yes it did.
Now, I started out by searching my usual food sources to see if a recipe for white chocolate, honey, and chamomile cupcakes already existed. The closest I found was a recipe for honey and chamomile cupcakes from the renowned and much beloved Joy the Baker. I eagerly whipped up a batch but found her cupcakes to be too… well, grainy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Joy, but these cupcakes weren’t what I was looking for. The problem was, she’d left the chamomile tea leaves in the batter, leading to an odd texture that reminded me of banana bread. Good, yes, but not the fluffy and delicate crumb I seek in a cupcake.
It worked wonders. The cake was light and fluffy, but with a strong flavor of chamomile complemented by honey and white chocolate. This cupcake is like a cup of warm tea on a cold winter’s day.
For the Chamomile Cake Base
(makes 10 – 12 cupcakes)
For the White Chocolate and Honey Glaze
(makes enough for 10 – 12 cupcakes)
For the Chamomile Cake Base
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Put the 1/2 cup whole milk and 3 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers in a liquid measuring cup, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.
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Preheat the oven to 325 (F) and prepare your cupcake pan with paper cupcake cases.
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Put 1 cup flour, a scant 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.
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Strain the 1/2 cup of chamomile-infused milk for the cupcake (from the first step) and slowly pour into the mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed.
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Add 1 egg and beat well, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
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Once all the ingredients have been incorporated, spoon the batter into your prepared cupcake pan until each paper cupcake case is about two-thirds full (if using a cookie dough scoop, each cupcake case should have about two tablespoons of batter) Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes bounce back when touched. A skewer inserted in the center of the cupcakes should come out clean.
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Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the White Chocolate and Honey Glaze
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In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 5 tablespoons heavy cream, and a pinch of kosher salt together until smooth.
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Use a cookie scoop to evenly distribute glaze amongst the cupcakes, using an offset icing spatula to smooth the glaze evenly across the cooled cupcakes.
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Once the cupcakes have been frosted, use a cheese grater or a vegetable peeler to create white chocolate shavings over the cupcakes — do this immediately after frosting the cupcakes, otherwise the glaze will set and the white chocolate shavings will bounce right off the cupcakes.
