Chai Latte Cupcakes
Supremely moist and fluffy cupcakes infused with the warm spices of chai and topped with a creamy chai latte buttercream!
Ingredients
Chai Spice Blend:
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Chai Latte Cupcakes:
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 Chai tea bag
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons chai spice blend (from recipe above)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Chai Spice Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ teaspoon chai spice blend (from recipe above)
- 3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- Cinnamon Sticks (optional)
Instructions
Make Chai Spice Blend:
- Combine all of the spices in a small bowl; set aside.
Make the Cupcakes:
- Bring milk to a boil or heat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds. Pour over tea bag and steep for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice blend together until combined; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until lightened and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla on medium speed.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add the chai milk, then mix until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Scoop the batter into the liners. Fill only 2/3 full to avoid baking over the sides. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt together until light and creamy. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining 2 cups of powered sugar, beating until combined.
- Add the vanilla, chai spice blend, and 3 Tablespoons of cream/milk, and beat until light and fluffy. Add more cream, if buttercream is still too thick. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag, fitted with a star tip. I used Celebrate It #2C tip.
To Assemble:
- Pipe buttercream on top of cupcakes. Top with a cinnamon stick, if desired. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.