chai cupcakes with bourbon espresso frosting
Chai-infused milk and a hit of warm spice infuse these soft, cozy cupcakes. And that buttercream? Might as well just take a spoon to it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 chai tea bags
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
bourbon espresso frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 3 tbsp bourbon
- 1/4-1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-slot muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In a small sauce pot, heat the milk until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the chai tea bags. Steep 15 minutes. Squeeze any excess milk from the bags back into the pot, and discard the bags. Cool.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until each is fully incorporated, then beat in the yogurt and vanilla. Don't be alarmed if the batter curdles a bit after you add the yogurt.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, cloves, black pepper, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, slowly stream in the chai milk until just combined. The batter will be thick.
- Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way to the top. Depending on the size of your tin and the eagerness of your hand, you may end up with 20-24 cupcakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the center is set and an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
- When the cupcakes are cooled, make the frosting. On high speed, beat together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, espresso, and bourbon. Add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the buttercream is smooth and spreadable. You may need up to 1/3 cup.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a star tip, or a large ziptop bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake. Sprinkle with espresso powder and garnish with a star anise pod, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
*To make ahead: Cupcakes can be baked, cooled, and frosted up to 3 days ahead of serving.