Blackberry and Elderflower Cupcakes

I haven't made cupcakes for a little while, but when I opened up my latest Degustabox and spotted the Blackberry and Elderflower teabags they were crying out to be used in a cake, so off I popped to the supermarket and picked up some lovely juicy blackberries. This year I intend to find some blackberry bushes and take the kids blackberry picking, just as I used to when I was a child.

Blackberry and Elderflower Cupcakes - makes 12

6 Blackberry & Elderflower teabags

200ml boiling water

1 large egg

4 tbsp sunflower oil

4 tbsp milk

225g plain flour

200g caster sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Frosting

200g White chocolate spread

200g Philadelphia cream cheese

Fresh blackberries

• Pour the boiling water onto the teabags and leave until cold
• Discard the teabags and you should be left with approx 150ml liquid
• Beat in the egg, oil and milk
• In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb
• Mix the wet ingredients into the dry
• Divide the batter between 12 cupcake cases in a muffin tin
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for approx 15-20 minutes, until springy to the touch
• Allow to cool on a wire rack before icing
• Beat the chocolate spread and cream cheese together until smooth and use to decorate the cooled cupcakes

I could have left this post at that, with pictures of nice pretty cupcakes. 

However, in the world of food blogging things don't always go to plan.

In my head the deep pink of the tea made these cakes a lovely pretty pink colour.

In reality they were a kind of khaki green on the outside and a pinky brown on the inside......

Now don't laugh.....

but this is what can happen if you overfill your cases, so make sure you only fill them two thirds full!

I did tell you not to laugh!

Despite the slightly khaki colour they were delicious, so if you are going to make these, just make sure you serve them after dark and nobody will be none the wiser.

Anyway, back to the Degustabox....

This month the contents were as follows :

• Taylors of Harrogate Blackberry & Elderflower teabags
• Finn Crisp crispbread
• Dr Oetker cake release spray
• Raw sugar free chewing gum
• Kettle Chips sweet potato crisps
• Cawston Press sparkling cloudy apple
• Cirio Passata & tomato puree
• Garofalo pasta
• Hornsby's crisp apple cider and strawberry & lime cider
• Elizabeth Shaw cocoa crunch flutes

totalling over £21

I have a discount code which will entitle readers to a £3.00 discount off their box when registering - regular price £12.99 including p&p.

code : HFVNR

You can follow Degustabox on Facebook and Twitter or check out their website here.

I was provided with a Degustabox free of charge