Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

 

So I’m not a huge fan of vanilla cake. It can be dry and lacking in flavor. So trust me when I say these cupcakes are worth making.

Key ingredient: Sour cream. It makes the cupcakes moist while adding a tangy flavor. To enhance the taste even more, go heavier on the spices and soak the tea bags longer (or even add another tea bag).

 

A buttercream frosting would also work really well with these, but the cream cheese frosting was a nice complement to the chai.

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Recipe (yields approximately one dozen cupcakes):

Cupcake:
1 ½ cup flour
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons of butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons sour cream
½ cup of milk
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 teabags of chai tea
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cardamom
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese
⅛ cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat up milk in microwave for 30 seconds. Steep tea bags in milk for at least 30 minutes.
2. Sift flour and combine all dry ingredients together in one bowl.
3. Add butter, egg, sour cream and milk to bowl. On a low to medium speed, mix ingredients with electric mixer until combined. Pour into cupcake liners placed in cupcake tin, and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
4. Mix cream cheese and butter in a on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla and milk. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add less or more powdered sugar depending on desired consistency.
5. After cupcakes have cooled, add frosting into a large plastic bag and cut a small hole diagonally on the tip of the bag. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle cinnamon or cinnamon sugar on top.