If you’ve ever had a chai latte or anything chai flavored for that matter, you know it’s a spicy, complex taste. So many spices that hit you at different times, which is one of the very enjoyable parts of it. These cupcakes do the exact same thing. The spices all hit you at different times, almost as if they tell a story after you take a bite, which is one thing I love about baking. Your desserts can tell stories as you try them. I love to make large amounts of the chai spice mixture below and keep it on hand to use in a variety of desserts or even mix it into my coffee in the morning.

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 ¾ Cup Cake Flour

1 ½ Tsp Baking Powder

½ Tsp Baking Soda

½ Tsp Salt

1 ½ Tbs Chai Spice (See chai spice recipe below)

½ Stick Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

1/3 Cup Sour Cream

2 Large Room Temperature Eggs

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2/3 Cup Milk

Chai Spice Mix:

1 Tsp Ground Cardamom

1 Tsp Ground Allspice

1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

3 Tsp Ground Ginger 

1 Tsp Ground Cloves

2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Simply mix all of these together. You can multiply the recipe and add to whatever you like. 

For the Frosting:

2 Sticks Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature

¼ Tsp Salt

3 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2-3 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar

 Directions:

1.     Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees F and line a cupcake pan with liners. 

2.     In a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, chai spice and salt. 

3.     Add the butter and mix on medium speed until the mixture is the texture of breadcrumbs. 

4.     In a separate bowl, combine the oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry mixture on low speed until just combined. 

5.     Add the milk and mix on low speed until just combined. 

6.     Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3of the way full, then bake for 12-14 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely. 

7.     For the frosting, mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes until pale and very light. 

8.     Add the salt, cinnamon and vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. 

9.     Add the confectioner’s sugar ½ a cup at a time, fully incorporating each addition before adding the next. 

10.  Pipe the frosting on top of each cooled cupcake and top with a sprinkling of the chai spice mixture.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.