Chai Cupcakes

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Inspired by my favorite coffeehouse drink, these chai cupcakes are full of warm, spiced flavor. The perfect treat for chai lovers!

I remember distinctly the first time I ever had chai: My residence hall advisor took us freshman on a welcome trip to a Dinkytown coffee house, and she recommended the chai latte. One sip and I was hooked!

All these years later and it’s still my favorite non-coffee drink. It inspired my chai chocolate cheesecake, and these sweet spiced chai cupcakes.

While my cheesecake recipe doesn’t have actual tea in it, these cupcakes are infused with chai flavor in both the cake and the buttercream. The tea is steeped in milk and added to both recipe components for full flavor that is complemented by the cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger spices.

Chai is great any time of year, but it will always make me think of those first chilly months at college, when all I needed was a few sips of warm, spiced comfort to help me feel at home. Make these chai cupcakes and bring that feeling right into your kitchen!

Ingredients for chai cupcakes

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• Chai, loose or in tea bags
• Whole milk
• Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• Ground spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger
• Granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar (aka confectioner’s sugar)
• All-purpose flour
• Whole eggs, plus egg yolks
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Vanilla extract

For the chai, you want to use the actual tea here. Do not use a premade “chai latte” mix from a carton, or a mix powder. Chai blends vary, so I recommend using your favorite. I like to use a loose leaf tea from my local spice shop, but you can also use a bagged tea like Stash Chai Double Spice, which is widely available.

This cake batter has added egg yolks for richness. When you’re dividing your eggs, make sure to use separate bowls in case a yolk breaks. (If you want to use up those egg whites, you’ll need just 1 more to make my chocolate macaroons.)

How to make this recipe

First, you will need to infuse the milk with the chai. This can be done in advance—just store it in the fridge and bring to room temperature before using in the recipe.

To infuse the milk, combine the milk and tea in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Once simmering (a light bubble), remove from heat and cover. Let the tea steep for about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve if you’re using loose leaf tea, or remove the tea bags and squeeze out excess liquid.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the chai milk for the batter, and save the remaining milk for the frosting. Let it cool to room temperature before using.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two standard cupcake/muffin pans (or 1 24-cup muffin pan) with paper liners. Spray the liners lightly with baking spray for extra nonstick encouragement.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl and hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until light and fluffy. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

Add the eggs and egg yolks to the mixture one at a time, making sure they are completely beaten in before adding the next. 

Alternately add the flour and 1 1/2 cups chai milk in multiple additions, starting and ending with the flour and mixing on medium-low. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. Once all of the flour is added, mix until smooth.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cupcakes will be flatter on top instead of a high dome, which will make it easier to pipe on the frosting.

Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, combine the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt in a small bowl. 

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the spices and vanilla extract, then mix in the reserved chai milk, a little at a time, until the frosting is to your preferred consistency. Pipe onto the cupcakes and dust with freshly grated nutmeg.

Storage tips

Store these cupcakes in an airtight container or cake keeper at room temperature for about 3 days. 

Cupcakes also freeze well, frosted or unfrosted. Make sure they are completely cooled. For unfrosted cupcakes, wrap them in plastic, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container.

If you want to freeze frosted cupcakes, I recommend placing them on a baking sheet to freeze briefly first. This will set the frosting so it doesn’t get smooshed when wrapping for storage. After flash freezing, wrap the cupcakes, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Make sure it is tall enough to hold your frosted cupcakes!

Frozen cupcakes are best eaten within 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Chai cupcakes are a deliciously spiced upgrade on vanilla cupcakes. Give them a try!

Chai Cupcakes

Chai-infused milk and warm spices make these cupcakes a flavorful upgrade on vanilla.

Author : Megan Myers

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 24

Calories 385 kcal

Ingredients

 

US Customary – Metric

 

1/2x1x2x3x

For the chai-infused milk:

• 1 3/4 cups whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon loose chai leaves, approximately 3 bags

For the cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, (11 1/2 ounces)

For the buttercream:

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 5 – 6 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Chai-infused milk

• Bring milk and tea to a simmer in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain the infused milk into a liquid measuring cup, pressing a spoon against the tea leaves to extract as much liquid as possible. Keep 1 1/2 cups liquid for the cupcake batter and set aside the remaining (approximately 1/4 cup) for the buttercream. Cool to room temperature before using in the batter and frosting.
  1 3/4 cups whole milk, 1 tablespoon loose chai leaves

Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake pans with liners and spray lightly with baking spray.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.
  3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Swiftly alternate between adding the flour and 1 1/2 cups chai milk on medium-low speed, starting and ending with the flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times.
  4 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 22-25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

• In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar. Add the spices and vanilla. Slowly add in the reserved 1/4 cup milk until the desired consistency is reached.
  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, 5 – 6 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Nutrition

Calories: 385 kcalCarbohydrates: 51 gProtein: 3 gFat: 19 gSaturated Fat: 12 gCholesterol: 91 mgSodium: 119 mgPotassium: 105 mgFiber: 0.5 gSugar: 40 gIron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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