Chai tea cupcakes

• June 21, 2015
• 352 words
• 2 min

Recently, my partner suggested that we try making a chai tea cupcake. After toying with a couple of recipes online to varied success, I decided to try my own take on the cupcake. And... it worked!

Yield

Similarly to my [chocolate cupcake recipe]({% post_url 2015-06-08-beginner-proof-chocolate-cupcakes %}), this batch makes between 18 - 24 cupcakes, depending on how much you fill the patty.

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon bicarb (baking) soda
• 1 cup (250ml / 1 Australian stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup full cream milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. Sift flour, sugar and bicarb together into a mixing bowl and set aside
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Using a whisk, add in milk and cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Continue whisking until it boils
4. Pour hot chai mix into the flour/sugar mix, stir with wooden spoon until just combined
5. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla, stir until liquid is mixed through
6. Using your electric mixer, mix for 2-3 minutes on a medium speed
7. Line your tray with patty pans
8. Pour cupcake mix into pans, filling to 2/3 of the patty.
9. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when touched on top

Note: The consistency of the mix should be quite liquidy. More than store-bought mixes or other recipes. This is absolutely fine.

Tips

1. Cream-cheese frosting

   For an amazing complementary frosting, mix 1/2 stick of cream cheese (philly, of course), 1/2 stick of butter with 1 bag (500 grams) pure icing sugar until completely mixed. When mixed, add 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice until the mixture has a slight lemon tangy taste.

   Pipe generously on top of cool cupcakes, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to finish.