Chai Cupcakes

This recipe from Sprinkle Bakes caught my eye and was reproduced rather quickly in my kitchen, using a bake sale at my son's school as an excuse. These are full of chai flavor, which if you're not familiar, is a really nice combination of what you'd think of with fall spices. Both the cupcakes and the buttercream carry the flavors for a simple, flavorful cupcake.

Here is the recipe with my slight adaptation of subbing milk for buttermilk. Note: I doubled the recipe for cupcakes and had enough frosting without doubling the frosting recipe.

Chai Cupcakes
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cadamom
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
Vanilla Chai Buttercream
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. vailla
Milk or cream
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. cloves
Pinch of pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 to 14 liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black pepper. Whisk together until the spices are well dispersed.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter on medium speed. Add the egg, and mix until incorporated. Mix in vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk, alternating, to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the flour.

Divide mixture evenly among cupcake liners. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the frosting, beat together butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add the extract and milk until the desired texture is achieved. Add the spices, and mix on high until fluffy. Frost, ideally with a piping bag. Makes 12 to 14 cupcakes.