Sunday was a bbq at Chuck and Danielle’s place. Ms. Dee made lemongrass chicken, beef kabobs and an Asian coleslaw (totally yummy!!).

I decided to go with the flow and made Peanut Soba Noodle Salad, some blackberry lemonade, and Dragon Devil’s cupcakes.

The thing about these cupcakes is they have Chinese green tea and star anise in them, oh, and bourbon. I ended up fooling around with the recipe because, of course, there just didn’t seem to be enough warmth and bourbon flavor, despite steeping the tea and star anise…

Also, when I followed the original instructions, the icing was really watery – impossible to pipe – so I added more bourbon and more powdered sugar and they turned out really great. It was a hoot to watch all the grown men flock to the cupcakes when we brought them out. I should’ve snapped a picture of the lot of them chowing down, with chocolate icing faces.

The cake part is sort of a light chocolate with the warmth of cinnamon – pairs really well with the bourbon icing. I had a hard time picking out the tea and star anise flavors, but I think they did accentuate the whole cupcake. The bourbon icing really brought it though, of course. Play around with this recipe to suit your fancy.

For the Cupcakes:

  • 1⁄2 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 1 cup (5 ounces/144 grams) cake or all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄2 cup (31⁄3 ounces/95 grams) sugar
  • 3⁄4 cup (33⁄4 ounces/108 grams) packed
  • light brown sugar
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1⁄2 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature

3 ounces (90 grams) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

For Chocolate Frosting:

  • 2 teaspoons Lapsang souchong or other black Chinese tea leaves
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon (for steeping tea) plus 1/4-1/2 cup Bourbon, to taste
  • 4 ounces (120 grams) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1⁄4 cup (2 ounces/56 grams)heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
  • 4-6 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄4 cup (13⁄8 ounces/40 grams) dried cherries

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 12-cup muffin tin (to anchor the paper liners) and line with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and set aside.

Put the butter, both sugars, and the salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time, and mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn the speed to low, and add one-quarter of the dry ingredients. When no traces of flour remain, add one-third of the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Continue adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, ending with flour. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix in the chopped chocolate.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups; each cup should be three-quarters full. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Put the tea, star anise, bourbon, and 2 tablespoons water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and steep, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Put the heavy cream, honey, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan, stir well, and set over medium heat. As soon as bubbles begin to form around the edges, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute, then mix slowly until the chocolate has dissolved and the ganache is smooth.

Strain the steeped tea through a fine-mesh sieve into the chocolate ganache, pressing on the tea leaves to extract as much liquid as possible. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Add the butter, confectioners’ sugar, bourbon and salt and continue mixing until well blended and creamy (to your desired consistency).

Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes. Arrange the dried cherries decoratively on top and serve.