Chai tea cupcakes

Last weekend, I took a brief trip to New York City with some friends. It was great to get away from the studying and homework for a little while and enjoy sightseeing in the city. We even got to see Cinderella on Broadway!

Another one of my favorite parts of the trip was all the famous bakeries I got to visit! First, there was Magnolia Bakery, known for its cupcakes. Then we hit up Bouchon Bakery (pictured below), where I tried one of their famous macarons (apple spice, for the season!). Lastly, we visited Momofuku Milk Bar, which is known for their cookies that somehow contain more butter than the saturation limit. All that butter certainly makes a very tasty cookie!

Between the trip and all the catching up to do with homework, it's been a little busy to find time to update the blog. I made this tasty chai tea cupcake recipe nearly two weeks ago and am now only finding time to post about it. 

Chai tea is my favorite flavor of tea, so naturally, I wanted to capture its goodness in a cupcake - I've already done a cookie version and a donut version. These turned out very yummy, but unfortunately, were a little plain looking. To spice it up a little, I stuck little Hershey chocolate pieces on top to make them cuter. Just like drinking a nice hot cup of chai!

Things may be getting busy, but I have plan for several ambitious recipes in the next week, so stay tuned! 

Chai tea cupcakes (makes ~16 cupcakes)

(Recipe adapted from Taste and Tell)

Cupcakes:

• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• ½ cup of unsalted butter
• 1 cup (200 g) of white sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups (187 g) flour
• 1½ tsp of baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup almond milk

Frosting:

• ½ cup of unsalted butter
• 3½ cup (420 g) of powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp almond milk
• Cinnamon and chocolate, for decorating 

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper) together and set aside. 
3. Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer on high speed until fluffy.
4. Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing until completely combined. 
5. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add in 1½ tsp of the spice mix. 
6. Add half of the flour mixture, followed by half the milk and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk and again, mix until just combined. 
7. Line cupcake tins with liners. Fill each one about ⅔ full (about 3 Tbsp of batter). 
8. Bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted fork comes out clean. 
9. Let cool. 
10. Cream butter in a stand mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and leftover spice mix and continue mixing until smooth. Slowly add the milk until the desired consistency is reached. 
11. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and sprinkle the top with cinnamon and garnish with chocolate, if desired. 
12. Enjoy!