When I think of chai I think of my college roommate who would make the most AMAZING chai tea. The moment I opened the jar of cardamom, it felt like we were back in our apartment. I actually think I made this cupcake recipe back in college...
I recently had a holiday work party and I was trying to come up with a winter/festive treat that everyone would enjoy, and for some reason these came to mind. I have to say, these were an absolute hit!
Ingredients (chai spice mix):
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Ingredients (cupcake):
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Ingredients (buttercream):
1 cup butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbs cold milk, if needed
Directions (cupcake):
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients in the chai spice mix and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 and line a cupcake pan (12-13 regular or 30-32 mini). Cream together butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in 2 tsp of the chai spice mix (the rest goes into the buttercream). Fold in sifted flour and buttermilk in 3 parts, starting and ending with flour. Mix batter until just combined being careful not to over mix. In a small separate bowl, combine baking soda and apple cider vinegar, then add it to the batter and combine. Spoon cupcake batter into your liners. I find that an ice cream scoop is the perfect amount for the large cupcakes, and I have a small scoop for the minis. Bake the regular for 15-20 minutes and the minis for 10-12 minutes making sure they don't burn. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let them sit for about 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely before piping.
Directions (buttercream):
Beat butter until creamy, 3-5 minutes. On low, mix in the vanilla and the rest of the chai spice mix. Add in the powdered sugar little by little, about 1/2 cup at a time. Add 1-2 tbs of cold milk to get the desired buttercream consistency. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Recipe from Gimme Some Oven