Vanilla Chai Cupcakes with Warm Spices and Buttercream Frosting

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. chai spice mix (recipe below)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Chai Spice Mix Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Buttercream Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• remainder of the chai spice mix
• 1 Tbsp. cold milk

Cupcake Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
• In a small bowl or plastic bag, combine the chai spice mix ingredients. Set aside.
• Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and beat in one egg at a time. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the chai spice mix. Fold in the flour and buttermilk alternately and stir until just combined — do not overmix. Mix the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl, then add to the batter and mix until incorporated.
• Spoon batter into prepared cupcake tins until about 3/4 full and bake 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Directions:

• In a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. On low speed, mix in the vanilla and the remainder of the chai spice mix. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. If the buttercream is too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons cold milk until you reach the desired consistency. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

For uniformly sized cupcakes, scoop batter into the tins with an ice cream scoop. An ice cream scoop makes portioning quick and consistent.

Recipe adapted from The Novice Chef.