So my sister is getting married this weekend (probably today, considering when I’ve scheduled this post, hah!), and one of the things that have always been foremost on her mind was to include something from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in the theme of her wedding. This didn’t exactly come to pass on the wedding and the reception itself, but we bridesmaids made do by throwing her a smashing Wonderland-themed wedding shower!
Now, some of the things I personally loved about Wonderland is its massive world and its aesthetics. So we decided to take elements of Wonderland and put it in the food, drink, and decorations. Essentially, what we threw for the bride and groom was a mad tea party!
One of the things I worked on for the wedding shower was the tea party cupcakes, which I had originally wanted to make as a cake. But honestly, cake would mean slicing it and we were talking about tea-time goodies, so cupcakes sounded much better as a “grab and go” food for the event.
I found this Earl Grey cake recipe that I modified a bit so that I could make some two dozen or so cupcakes. I didn’t use the buttercream frosting, though a honey buttercream does sound amazing, but I figured a simple vanilla cream frosting could also bring up the Earl Grey flavor. (Also, I have found I’m not a big fan of buttercream, but I do love the lightness of whipped cream frosting.)
While the recipe called for a specific type of Earl Grey tea, the one I used was from Twinings (souvenir from London!) and Spices and Tease. I didn’t add the oil into the cupcake because I didn’t think it was needed, what with the butter already being there, and turns out it really wasn’t needed! Baking time was much less than the cake, which I put to about 14-15 minutes.
As for the frosting, I used roughly 3 cups of whipped cream with 1 cup of sugar and 2 tsp of vanilla extract. This gave such a lighter feel to the cupcake, and it ticked off all the boxes!
In any case, pair that up with some checkerboard sandwiches, a bit of Long Island Iced Tea (and some virgin ones for the non-drinkers, of course!), card rice krispies treats, and Wonderland-themed cookies, et voila, a mad tea party fit for a most deserving bride and her equally nerdy geeky groom!
I mean, not bad, right?
Story and Somnomancy 