Simple and delicious chai cupcakes for Autumn
The final recipe in our Autumn cupcake quartet and simultaneously a tea recipe. It’s our chai cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting. They’re like a big warm hug in a cupcake. Grab the recipe!
The final recipe in our Autumn cupcake quartet for this year is for simple and delicious chai cupcakes. We’re cheating a little because it is simultaneously a tea recipe, and we haven’t had one of those for a while (sorry). So lets look at what makes these cupcakes perfect for Autumn.
Disclosure:
Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read our full disclosure for more information.
Why are chai cupcakes perfect for Autumn?
I know lovers of chai (tea) and chai lattes will not disagree with me.
A cup of tea (and a chat with Mum) has always seem like a warm hug to me. With winter coming, more rain, colder temperatures and darker skies, and particularly given the current lockdown situation, we could all do with a warm hug.
For me, the spices in chai also herald Christmas. With Christmas markets cancelled this year, anything that can help get us in the Christmas spirit is a good thing.
What you need to know about using chai
Chai is the Hindi word for tea. It means a mix of spices, steeped into a tea-like beverage. Traditionally, it will include a black tea, mixed with strong spices like cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, ginger and black peppercorns. Typically, it will be brewed to a strong team, and served with its of milk, sweetened with sugar or honey.
The mixture was developed more than 5,000 years ago when a king ordered that a warm beverage be made containing the spices (“masala”) known to aid healing in Ayurveda. Tea was used as a base:
- ginger and black pepper to stimulate digestion
- cloves to help relieve pain
- cardamon to elevate mood
- cinnamon to support circulation and respiratory function
- star anise for fresh breath.
Milk and tea were supposedly later additions to the drink.
What is hot milk cake?
This recipe is based on a recipe for traditional hot milk cake, adjusted to cupcakes.
Hot milk cake is a type of sponge cake that was first baked in America in 1911. The hot milk (after which it is named) and butter give it a texture that is more similar to pound cake than egg-leavened sponge cake.
This recipe uses the same technique as our English breakfast panna cotta. Tea is steeped or boiled in milk to subtly infuse the tea flavour into the cake.
(I used that same technique for some lavender and lemon cupcakes, that I have not shared yet – you have to get the mix right or it tastes like soap. It is a lovely, more subtle way to infuse flavour into your baked goods.)
A mix of spices is then added to get the delicious chai flavour.
Tips for making our chai cupcakes
If you can, use chai tea. If you can’t get a chai mix, use normal black tea instead. Darjeeling and Assam teas are native to India and are traditionally used, but you can use whatever you like. Decaf is fine if you prefer. It also does not matter if you use tea bags or loose tea; if you lose loose tea, strain the milk well before adding it to the cupcake batter.
Mix the spice mix together and set aside. This will ensure that the same combination is added to the cupcakes and the frosting.
Chai normally contains a lot of milk. Not only are we using hot milk in the cupcakes, we also combine them with a spiced cream cheese frosting. We use the same combination of spices in the frosting.
Chai cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teabags (black or chai)
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 ¼ tsp ground cardamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ¾ cups plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder (heaped)
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 eggs (large)
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
For the frosting
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 200 g cream cheese
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 1 tbsp double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tbsp spice mix
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 160°c. Line a muffin form with patty pans and set aside.
- Pour the milk into the saucepan, add the tea bags and heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until it is a strong brew. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted.
- Place cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, ginger and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Sift flour, baking powder, salt and 3 ½ teaspoons of the spice mix, from above.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs and sugar. Beat for 4 to 5 minutes or until very thick and the batter falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon. Beat in vanilla.
- Add the milky tea mixture to the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream and continue beating until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the dry ingredients until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans pans, filling no more than ⅔ full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool on a rack before frosting.
For the frosting
- Beat butter and cream cheese on high until light and fluffy.
- Add one cup of the icing sugar, 1 tablespoon of the spice mix, the salt and vanilla essence and mix until well combined.
- Add the double cream and mix well. Add the remaining icing sugar, a little at a time, mixing until the right consistency is reached.
- Pipe on cooled cupcakes and decorate with a cinnamon stick if desired.
Nutrition
Try this chai cupcakes this Autumn
It’s a simple and delicious warming hug in a cupcake that heralds the coming festive season and warms you from the inside. Now is the perfect time to make some of these chai cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting.
Which of our Autumn cupcakes is your favourite? Are you an Oktoberfest fan? Do you like vegetables in your cupcakes? Are you all about the scare factor? Or are you a lover of chai latte?
Check out our other Autumn cupcakes
Oktoberfest cupcakes with beer caramel
Our 2019 Autumn cupcakes
Pumpkin spice cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting
Maple parsnip cupcakes with maple buttercream frosting
Black velvet cupcakes with creme patisserie slime and marshmallow cobwebs (Halloween)
Chocolate beetroot cupcakes with chocolate creme frâiche frosting
Pin for later:
