Chai Spiced Cupcakes

Warm cardamom and ginger sponge under a honey cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time45 mins
Yield12 cupcakes
Chai Spiced Cupcakes
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Before You Start

Real chai spice is more cardamom than cinnamon, which is where most recipes go wrong. Steeping the tea in warm milk first gives you the tannic, slightly bitter backbone that makes these taste like a cup of masala chai rather than a pumpkin spice cupcake.

Instructions

0 of 6 done

  1. Steep the tea bags in the warm milk for 10 minutes, then squeeze them out and discard. You want the milk strongly flavoured and slightly beige.

  2. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F and line a 12-hole tin. Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, all four spices and the salt together. Add to the butter mixture alternately with the tea milk, mixing only until smooth.

  4. Divide between the cases and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops spring back. Cool completely before frosting, or the cream cheese will slide off.

  5. Beat the butter for the frosting until smooth, add the cold cream cheese and beat just 30 seconds. Overbeating cream cheese frosting makes it runny.

  6. Sift in the powdered sugar, add the honey, and beat on low until thick and spreadable. Swirl onto the cooled cupcakes and dust with a little extra cinnamon.

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💡 Baker's tips

  • Buy cardamom ground in small jars or grind the pods yourself. Old ground cardamom loses its perfume within months and is the difference between chai and generic spice.
  • Cream cheese frosting must start with cold cream cheese and softened butter, never the other way round.

🔀 Make it your own

  • Add ¼ tsp finely ground black pepper for a proper masala chai kick.
  • Fold ½ cup chopped pistachios into the batter and scatter more on top.

📦 Storing & freezing

Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge for 4 days and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before eating. Unfrosted sponges freeze for 3 months.

❓ Frequently asked

How many grams is a cup of cream cheese?

About 226 g per US cup, so the ¾ cup here is roughly 170 g. Use full-fat block cream cheese, not the soft spreadable tub, which is too wet for frosting.

Can I use a chai tea bag instead of black tea and spices?

You can steep chai tea bags in the milk, but keep the ground spices in the batter too. The tea alone is not strong enough once it is diluted through the flour.

Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.

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