I love cupcakes.

It’s perhaps one of my favorite kinds of desserts ever. They’re little portion-regulated desserts complete with cake, frosting, and decorations. Pretty to look at, yummy to eat. Rest assured folks, this will not be the last cupcake post you see on here. If I could bake cupcakes for a living, I totally would.

Now, this recipe is pretty simple. The directions are straight-forward, and there’s really not a whole lot of weird ingredients to it either. It also only yields about a dozen cupcakes, which, if you are only cooking for two people like I am, it’s nice because then there’s not a whole lot of cupcakes sitting on the counter for days tempting you :)

If you love chai tea, this is the recipe for you!

Ingredients:

• Chai spice mix:
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Cupcakes:
  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons chai spice mix
  • 1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Buttercream frosting:
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • the remainder of the chai spice mix
  • 1 tablespoon cold milk, or more if needed to thin out the buttercream

Cupcake directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.
• In a small bowl, combine the chai spice mix.
• In an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add the vanilla extract, then beat in the eggs, one at the time, until combined.
• Add 2 teaspoons of the chai spice mix, then fold in the flour and buttermilk alternately until combined.
• In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar, then add that to the batter mixture. Mix until combined.
• Spoon batter into cupcake pan, about 3/4 full, and bake for about 18-20 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).
• Remove from cupcake pan and cool on wired cooling rack.

Buttercream directions:

• In an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and remaining chai spice mix. Mix well.
• Beat in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it’s all thoroughly combined.
• If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

• Pipe buttercream frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Culinary Enthusiast

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