The Engineer had promised to bring cupcakes to work, but didn’t have a recipe in mind. I saw this as an opportunity to try some recipes on my list, and I started with these two kinds of chai cupcakes from Dessert First. I liked them both, and they were more original than plain chocolate and vanilla. We decided that while both kinds were quite good, the chocolate chai cupcakes with vanilla frosting were the best kind. That being said, they spread out a bit more than the vanilla chai ones and weren’t as neat. We tried our hand at piping for the first time; the disposable bag we had rigged ended up not being compatible with our piping tip, though, so in the end we just piped frosting straight from the bag.
I made a few changes to the recipe, namely because I don’t keep cake flour on hand – but I always have all-purpose flour and cornstarch, so I make do. Also, I recommend using the rest of the chai mixture in the chocolate cupcakes (what is called for is 1 tablespoon, but in theory you should have about 2 ½ teaspoons left; it all worked out well, though). For the chocolate ganache, instead of using cream, I used a whippable soy topping (found in the refrigerated section at the grocery store); the honey meringue buttercream can be made with vegan margarine instead of butter, as long as it’s very cold. The recipes make 12 cupcakes each (or about 30 mini cupcakes); if you pipe the frosting, you may have some leftover. You can choose to make only one kind, of course!
With this recipe, I also started using an ice cream scoop to transfer batter from the bowl to the cupcake tin. It works out perfectly, and keeps the mess to a minimum! I’m now using that trick for all my cupcakes.
Chai Spice Mixture
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
Combine the spices together in a small bowl.
Vanilla Chai Cupcakes
1 cup + 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tsp chai spice mixture
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, or cold margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg plus 2 egg whites
½ cup whole lactose-free milk
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Sift the flour, corn starch, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Stir in the chai spice mixture.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed until soft and creamy.
Add in egg and egg whites, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition to combine before adding the next.
Add in the flour mixture and milk in three alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just to combine each addition before adding the next.
Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, fill each cupcake liner about ¾ full with batter. Bake in oven for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the cupcakes comes out clean. Mini cupcakes will take about 15 minutes, so check sooner.
Let cupcakes cool in tin on a wire rack until cool before decorating.
Chocolate Chai Cupcakes
3 oz bittersweet chocolate
¾ cup + 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp corn starch
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp (or what’s left) chai spice mixture
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, or margarine
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk (or lactose-free milk with lemon juice)
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Place chocolate in a metal bowl and melt over a pot of simmering water. Set aside.
Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl. Stir in the chai spice mixture.
Cream the butter and both sugars together in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed until soft and creamy.
Add in the chocolate and mix to combine.
Add in eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition to combine before adding the next.
Add in the flour mixture and buttermilk in three alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just to combine each addition before adding the next.
Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, fill each cupcake liner about ¾ full with batter. Bake in oven for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the cupcakes comes out clean. Mini cupcakes will take about 15 minutes, so check sooner.
Let cupcakes cool in tin on a wire rack until cool before decorating.
Swiss Meringue Honey Buttercream
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp honey
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-in pieces (or cold margarine)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Combine the sugar, honey, and egg whites in a medium metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water.
Whisk the sugar mixture constantly over heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and shiny. Continue whisking until the mixture reaches 160 °F. (You can dispense with this is the egg whites had been pasteurized.)
Remove mixture from heat and pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has cooled.
Switch to the paddle attachment and with the speed on low, add the butter a few pieces at a time, beating until smooth. Do not add the butter too quickly or beat too quickly or the buttercream may break.
When all the butter has been added, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for about 6-10 minutes until it is very thick and smooth. It may appear to separate briefly but continue beating and it should come back together.
Add in the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
The buttercream is ready to be used. Place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface until you are ready to use it to prevent it from drying out.
Whipped Chocolate Cinnamon Ganache
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (or substitute, as long as it can be whipped)
½ tsp cinnamon
Place chocolate into a medium heatproof bowl.
Combine cream and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat just until it comes to a simmer. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for a minute before stirring to combine. Stir until chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth. (If you are using the whippable soy topping, then skip this step, because you’d alter the consistency and ruin the final product; just melt the chocolate separately and add the cinnamon to that, and slowly pour it into the soy mixture as you’re whipping.)
Pour into a container and chill in refrigerator for an hour until it is firm. (I didn’t do this and just used the frosting right away.)
Place ganache in a stand mixer and whip with whisk attachment until it is light and fluffy. Do not overwhip or it will become dry and crumbly, just like overwhipped cream.
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