Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice…From Teacup to Cupcake: Vanilla Chai Tea Cupcakes

I love chai tea. Like, really. Like, you know how some people can’t go on without their coffee or something in them dies? Yeah. Me. Only with chai. The first time I ever had one was at Starbucks. Oh, Starbucks. My lost love, don’t fret, we’ll be united again someday.

Anyway, since I don’t drink coffee, I needed to find a replacement that I could have when I went to Starbucks with my friends and we all wanted a hot beverage. Of course, I’m always happy with a hot chocolate in hand, but I wanted to try something new. Once I had a chai latte, there was no turning back. I got quite good at ordering exactly the right chai/water/milk combo to feed my addiction. Then we moved to Vermont.

Vermont. Of all the places I’ve lived over the course of my life, Vermont is the only one that has felt like home, since I left home. It is a truly beautiful state and I would return there in less than a heartbeat. What could be wrong with a place that was the birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s?! Only one thing. No Starbucks.

That was when the hunt began for a pre-packaged chai that I could make at home. I couldn’t even get the Tazo chai syrup in Vermont, so I was reduced to trying various dry chai. It took several months but I eventually found the one chai that has the same flavor as the Tazo, and can make a close second to a chai from Starbucks. The brand Stash makes a decaf chai that is spicy and delicious, without cloying vanilla flavors. It’s a perfect replacement (for Starbucks’ chai), if you’re forced to live without the real thing. If you’re looking for a great chai tea that comes in a tea bag, I highly recommend this one.

Once we left Vermont, though, Starbucks was in my life again. I could go anywhere and have the opportunity to stop in. Until we got to the islands. Of course, I was prepared for this. I knew there wasn’t even the slightest possibility that there would be a Starbucks here, but, in all honesty, it’s usually too hot for a chai latte anyway. So, once again, a quest began. This time, I wanted to create a dessert that would give me back my chai, without overheating me. Naturally, my first choice was a cupcake.

Aren’t they pretty?! Really, really?!

Obviously, it would be a vanilla cupcake, but what would the flavors be? I broke out my Stash chai and read the ingredient list as a jumping off point. Ginger, cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom. Those are all the spices in my favorite tea. I was a little scared. I really didn’t want to overdo it with the spices, but I knew I needed all of them to get the right flavor. Well, in the end, I ended up cutting the allspice out. You couldn’t tell it was in there either way, so why not save it?

The spices were right, but it lacked something. It just wasn’t quite right. It was spicy, but it didn’t taste like a chai. That’s when I decided to add real chai to it. The recipe already had milk, so why not steep some tea bags in it and add more flavor? Best. decision. ever. These cupcakes turned out soft and spicy, with actual chai flavor. They were so good that I could have eaten them without and frosting at all! But they needed that extra little something to make them as special as a latte.

My hardest decision with the frosting was whether I wanted to keep it simple with vanilla, or spice it up a bit. I decided to use the foam from a chai latte as my inspiration, and knew I couldn’t stick with plain vanilla. The foam on a chai absorbs some of that spicy aroma, so the frosting should do the same. I decided that cinnamon made the most sense and made a basic, but delicious, vanilla buttercream, then added small amounts of cinnamon until the flavor was just right. I have to say, this frosting is easily one of my favorite things I’ve ever made. It’s just wonderful! And on the cupcake? Fahgeddaboutit!

The only problem I have now, is forcing myself to bake something else! And just in case you’re wondering…yes, these can be made vegan! Yay!

Alright, so if you’re a chai lover, you can’t skip these. For the dry ingredients, you’ll need ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon (all ground, of course), as well as salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cake flour.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Isn’t it all pretty when you first put it in the bowl? I never want to mix it up.

Next, you need milk and you favorite chai tea bags. If you want to make these vegan, use soy milk. Bring the milk to a simmer, remove it from the heat, then steep the tea in it for at least 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before using it.

The remaining ingredients include softened, unsalted butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, and apple sauce, which was feeling camera shy today. For vegan cupcakes, replace the eggs with extra apple sauce.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Scrape the bowl, then add the apple sauce and mix until just incorporated.

Sprinkle one-third of the flour mixture over batter and mix until just combined. Add half of the chai milk mixture, mixing on low until combined. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, and beat until just mixed. Scrape the bowl, then add the remaining milk and mix until combined. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until the batter is thoroughly combined, but do not over mix.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each liner with two tablespoons of batter and bake at 350 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

My frosting ingredients were camera shy today too…sorry. I promise to get everything back on stage before our next performance! To make the frosting, you need softened unsalted butter or margarine, vanilla, cinnamon, and confectioners’ sugar.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add one cup of confectioners’ sugar and cream together. Once combined, beat in another cup of sugar, then mix in the vanilla. Add the cinnamon and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining sugar, one cup at a time, and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. If your frosting is too stiff or dry, beat in up to two tablespoons of milk, one tablespoon at a time.

These are so amazing. I have been walking around in a state of total bliss since I made them. They are seriously sugar and spice and everything nice…including irresistible. Everyone loved these. Everyone! And one of the very best parts? They smell like Autumn when they’re in the oven. I expected to look out the window and see red and gold leaves on the palm trees.

Make these because you love a good chai. Make them because they’re delicious. Make them because they’ll give that Autumnal mood you want. Just make them. Enjoy!

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 eggs (for vegan cupcakes replace the eggs with an extra half cup apple sauce)
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 cup milk (soy milk for vegan)
4 chai tea bags

FOR THE FROSTING
1 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon (up to 1/2 teaspoon more, if desired)
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.

In a small saucepan, warm the milk until it just simmers. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and allow the chai milk to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Scrape the bowl, then add the apple sauce and mix until just incorporated.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over batter and mix until just combined. Add 1/2 of the chai milk mixture, mixing on low until combined. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, and beat until just mixed. Scrape the bowl, then add the remaining milk and mix until combined. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until the batter is thoroughly combined, but do not over mix.

Fill each cupcake liner with 2 tablespoons of batter and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar and cream together. Once combined, beat in another cup of sugar, then mix in the vanilla. Add the cinnamon and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. If your frosting is too stiff or dry, beat in up to 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.

recipe by Darla

Tagged as: Chai, Chai Cupcakes, Chai Tea, Chai Tea Latte, Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Frosting, Cupcakes, Dairy Free, Frosting, Recipes, Spice, Tea, Vanilla Chai, Vegan