Bengal spice cupcakes recipe

(Photo credit: Alegrya)

Several football seasons ago, I stumbled across Bengal Spice Tea by Celestial Seasonings while grocery shopping. Being a Cincinnati Bengals fan, curiosity got the better of me and I snatched up a box to try. I'm glad I did! It is a tea that will awaken your taste buds as well as your nose. Ever since the first taste of this tea, I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate this tea into my baking recipes. After much brainstorming, I decided to stick with a winning formula and model a recipe after my Earl Grey Cupcakes. The day I made these, I was in a time crunch, so I cheated and used a cake mix instead of making the cake from scratch. The resulting cupcakes were no less delicious. I present to you my recipe for Bengal Spice Cupcakes. Make 'em as minis and serve them for tailgating!

BENGAL SPICE CUPCAKES

• 1 boxed white cake mix and the required ingredients to make the cake as directed EXCEPT the water
• 1-1 1/3 cups strongly brewed Bengal Spice Tea (whichever amount your cake mix calls for)
• 1 can cream cheese frosting
• contents of one additional Bengal Spice teabag, finely chopped
• 1 capful of cinnamon flavor oil from LorAnn's

Directions
Prepare the cake mix as directed by the box, substituting strongly brewed tea in equal amounts for the water. Bake as directed. While cake is baking, empty a second teabag and finely chop the ingredients. Empty the can of prepared frosting into a bowl and stir in cinnamon oil and chopped tea. Stir well to completely blend. When cupcakes have completely cooled, frost each with a generous amount of frosting. For a little extra zip, you can dust each cupcake with a hint of cinnamon or clove. Dust lightly-these should have a delicate flavor with a little kick at the end.