i am a food blog

I kind of have a slight addiction to Starbucks. I’ve heard all the arguments against: caffeine isn’t great for you; the drinks are sugar bombs; and you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars if you just don’t go–but I love the sugary-sweet drinks they pass for coffee.

One of my girlfriends shares my Starbucks love and we’ll often gleefully head out, braving the rain and lineups just to get our hit. This week she confessed that sometimes she’ll refrain from ordering a drink for a while so that when she tastes it again it tastes like the first time. The drink in question: the chai tea latte.

When she told me, I knew that I would be baking her a batch of chai tea cupcakes for her upcoming birthday. Chai tea lattes happen to be one of my favourite drinks too, so I know why she’s obsessed. These chai tea cupcakes are delicious. A soft, moist cake is flecked with spices and topped with creamy vanilla frosting. They’re so good they almost taste like you’re biting into a chai tea latte.

What could be better than a birthday cupcake in the form of your favourite drink? Bonus points if you pop the cakes into tiny jars for safe keeping during travel. Happy Birthday Mary!

i am cupcake, i am chai-flavoured: i am chai tea cupcake!

Chai Tea Cupcake Recipe from bakingdom.com
yield: 4 cupcakes in a jar

Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons apple sauce
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 chai tea bags ( you can get these from most superstores but my friend recommends the Prana Chai tea.

Frosting

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a small pot, heat the milk up and steep the tea for at least 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and remove the tea bags. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In another large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the apple sauce and mix until just combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the chai milk and ending with dry.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each spot with 2 tablespoons batter. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a couple of crumbs clinging to it. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add 2 tablespoons of the icing sugar and combine throughly. Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon. Add the remaining sugar and mix until frosting is light and fluffy. If the frosting is too stiff or dry, beat in up to 2 teaspoons milk, a teaspoon at a time.

Assemble: Slice the domed parts of the cupcakes off. Place one cupcake in your jar and top with frosting. Add another cupcake, bottom side down and close the jar.

**If you want to make regular cupcakes, line your muffin tin with liners and fill 3/4 full.

chaicupcakesin a jarstarbuckstea