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chai cupcake recipe
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Spiced Chai Cupcakes

Super soft and moist chai cupcakes that are perfectly flavored with chai tea and a homemade chai spice mix, then topped with spiced chai buttercream. They're the perfect cozy cupcakes for any tea lover!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings 15 cupcakes

Ingredients

Chai Spice Mix

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Chai Cupcakes

  • 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp (150ml) whole milk
  • 1 chai tea bag
  • 1 1/4 Cups (132g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp chai spice mix (recipe above)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 /2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 Cup (200g) granulated white sugar
  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg white, room temperature
  • 1/4 Cup (60g) sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Chai Buttercream

  • 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp chai spice mix (recipe above)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
  • pinch of salt, or to taste

Instructions

Make The Chai Spice Mix

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and cloves and set aside.

Make The Chai Cupcakes

  • Place the chai tea bag into a mason jar. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the whole milk, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil. Pour the boiling milk over the chai tea bag in the mason jar and let steep for 15 minutes before removing the tea bag. Allow the mixture to cool completely to room temperature before moving on.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177ºC), then line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners.
  • In a medium bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder, 2 teaspoons of the chai spice mix, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer and large bowl), cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix in the egg and egg white until combined, then add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. 
  • Turn the mixer off and add in the dry ingredients all at once. Turn the mixer to low speed mix until the flour mixture just starts to combine, then add the (room temperature!) chai milk mixture slowly and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds more. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps (without over-mixing). The batter will be slightly thick.
  • Scoop the batter into the lined cupcake pan and fill each liner no more than 2/3 full, then bake for 14-18 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Make The Vanilla Chai Buttercream

  • Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the chai spice mix into the powdered sugar and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer and large bowl), cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color, about 7 minutes. 
  • With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar mixture a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next one. 
  • Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on medium-low for another two minutes until fully incorporated. 

Assembly

  • Once the chai cupcakes have cooled completely, frost with the chai buttercream. To create the look pictured, add the vanilla chai buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 4B and pipe a swirl onto each cupcake, then add a pinch of the chai spice mix (you'll have a tiny bit left over) or cinnamon on top as a garnish.

Notes

*DIY Cake Flour: To make your own cake flour, spoon and level one cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp. Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Repeat per the amount of cake flour you need, then sift the flour and cornstarch mixture 4 times (don’t skip that step!). After sifting, spoon and level to re-measure the amount of cake flour you need. If measuring with a kitchen scale, you’ll want to measure out 148g of homemade cake flour (since all-purpose weighs more than store bought cake flour). 
Make Ahead Notes: 
  1. The chai milk mixture can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. When you're ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature before adding it to the cake batter. 
  2. The cupcakes can be made ahead and stored at room temperature for up to two days. I like to store mine in the cupcake pan covered with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
  3. The buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you're ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency.