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chai cupcakes

Chai Cupcakes

Moist and tender brown sugar and chai spice cupcakes topped with velvety-smooth, luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
YIELD 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Chai spice mix

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

Chai cupcakes

  • 1 ⅛ cups (160g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup (65g) dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 ml) buttermilk

Cinnamon frosting

  • ⅔ cup (150g) block style, full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup (150g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 ⅓ cups (375g) powdered sugar, sifted, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.

  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, chai spice mix, and salt. Set aside.

  3. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Add buttermilk and beat until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat slowly or fold by hand only until combined. Do not over mix – the less you mix, the lighter the cake will be.

  4. Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to set for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

  5. To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time and beat until smooth. Beat on medium high speed until combined, then add cinnamon and vanilla. Beat another minute until the frosting is light and fluffy. Frost cupcakes once they’ve cooled.

  6. Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll keep for 3 days. Bring to room temperature about 1 hour before serving.
  7. Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept tightly covered at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw, still covered, on the counter or overnight in the fridge.