Lately I’ve been drinking a lot of chai tea. I love the combination of flavors that burst when I’m drinking it. There are lots of ways to combine spices if you are making your own tea – cinnamon, fennel, star anise, cloves, peppercorn, cardamom, ginger. Buying spices in bulk is best. My favorite place is Bob’s Red Mill, and I’m lucky enough to live 20 minutes from the store! They have the best bulk products. He’s known for his flours, but I love to wander the spice section and see what new flavors I can experiment with.
Cupcakes are like the guilt-free version of cake. I feel like any cake can and should be turned into a cupcake. They’re portable. They’re cute. They say “I’m calorie-free I’m so small!”. Not really. But it still feels good to think that way.
These cupcakes are the perfect combination of chai flavors. Instead of fennel, which is a common chai flavor, I went with Star Anise. It has a sweeter licorice flavor than the fennel’s more ‘green’ taste.
Chai Latte Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- pinch of freshly ground peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup|7 ounces white sugar
- 2 large eggs
For the frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted after measured
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/14 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground star anise
- large pinch freshly ground peppercorns
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with greaseproof liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl stir together the milk and vanilla.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then milk, then the rest of the flour mixture, beating until blended after each addition of ingredients.
- Divide batter among liners and bake until the tops are just dry and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 16-18 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In a medium bowl sift together the powdered sugar and all the spices.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed and gradually add the sugar mixture, milk, and vanilla and beat until blended, being careful not to overmix or too much air will be incorporated into frosting.
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