Chai Spiced Cupcakes

20:23:00 Unknown 2 Comments

These cupcakes are a delicious treat and a great dessert for any chai lover! Chai is one of my favourite hot drinks. Before I started drinking coffee it was the only think I ordered at Starbucks. Since then I have even tried making my own homemade chai. I can safely say homemade is best. However, store bought chai mix is great for these cupcakes. If you are making your own chai, make sure to use the tea before you add the milk. If you need to convert these measurements into US units click this link. It provides conversions for pretty much any ingredient you will need as well as the baking temperature. The base of this recipe is from Natasha's Kitchen . The addition of the baking soda and greek yoghurt makes these cupcakes super light and fluffy.

Ingredients 

Cupcakes:

170g of flour
200g caster sugar
85g of softened butter (cut into small cubes)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
245g of greek yoghurt
1 tbsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of cardamon

Frosting:

120 ml of boiling water
2 chai capsules or teabags
170g unsalted butter
375g of icing sugar
1/8 tsp of salt
200g of cream cheese, softened

Baking Time!

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar). 
3. Add the softened butter and whisk together for about 3-4 minutes or until the butter has been fully incorporated and the mix looks like small crumbs. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (vanilla, eggs and greek yoghurt) until smooth on a medium speed. 
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 
6. Add the cinnamon and cardamom; fold in until well incorporated. 
7. Bake in the oven for 18-25 minutes. Check using a toothpick to make sure they have baked all the way through. 
8. Let cool on a cooling rack. They need to be at room temperature before you frost them. 

Frosting 

1. Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy, on a high speed. It should be a few shades lighter yellow. 
2. Add the cream cheese and combine with the butter. 
3. Add the icing sugar, a little bit at a time until it is well incorporated with the butter and cream cheese. 
4. Whisk on high until you can form peaks with the frosting and the whisk leaves a trail. 
5. Pour in the cooled chai into the frosting and incorporate on a slow speed. 
6. If you feel the chai has made the frosting too runny, you can add a little more icing sugar until you regain the the right consistency. 
7. This should make a liberal amount of frosting for 15 cupcakes or a perfect amount for a large cake. Any left over frosting can be kept in the fridge or freezer. 

Makes 15 cupcakes. Approximate prep time: 30 minutes. Approximate baking time: 18-25 minutes.