this is my first post for fall & i don't think there is any going back. i know we technically still have a few weeks left of summer, but as soon as september nears i bust out all the apples + pumpkins. i thought i was going to ease into the flavours of fall but instead i decided to go all out & create this chai latte cupcake! however, on NOM this week i made a pumpkin + pineapple bundt cake as an "end of summer, beginning of fall" inspired treat. but back to these cupcakes!
they literally taste like a chai tea latte in a cupcake form, which in a way means it is better then an actual latte because cake always wins. the base of the cupcake is infused with stash tea's double spice chai black tea & sweetened with a dark brown sugar. the double spice chai black tea packs SO much flavour, just opening the bag made the whole room smell delicious. for the frosting, i went with a light version of a buttercream to act as the whipped cream on a latte. i did a classic style american vanilla buttercream, but at the end added in a touch of whipping cream to lighten up the texture. i let justin take some of the left over cupcakes to work this week & they were gone before nine (am). what does that tell you? happy baking!
ingredients
for the chai cupcake cake
- 2 teaspoon stash loose leaf double spice chai black tea
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon
for the whipped buttercream frosting
- 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3-4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whipping cream, cold
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for dusting
directions
- preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- in a saucepan over low heat add the milk & loose leaf tea. let simmer for five minutes to infuse the tea into the milk. do not let the mixture come to a boil. remove from heat & let cool to room temperature. strain out tea.
- in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and brown sugar.
- add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. beat until light and fluffy.
- in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves & cardamon. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
- once flour is JUST combined into the wet ingredients, add the infused milk & beat until batter is smooth.
- evenly distribute batter amongst lined cupcake tins.
- bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops bounce back to touch.
- while the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
- in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the butter, icing sugar & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- add the whipping cream & beat for an additional minute.
- fill piping bag with frosting & pipe as desired. sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon & voila!
this post was created in partnership with stash tea! you can find the double spice chai black tea i used here. they make the best flavours of tea to bake with. thank you for supporting the brands that keep hey modest marce running xo
like what you see? get it here. plate | pinch bowl | tumbler | linen | flatware | wood serving board | brass wood spoon