Sweet & spicy, chai cupcakes made with warming spices then generously frosted with the most delicious maple-infused frosting. Sooo much flavor to enjoy!
As much as I love pumpkin desserts, I have to admit that the PSL is not a fav. In fact, its never in consideration when I place my latte order. My #1 drink is always a Soy Chai Tea Latte, no water, extra hot (in case you wanna try it for yourself). 😉
Itβs sweet, spicy and comforting all at once. So, when brainstorming new cupcake recipes, I turned to my favorite coffeehouse beverage for inspiration. These chai tea latte cupcakes are fall/winter must-try!
why youβll love these chai cupcakes?
When you combine a light, moist, vanilla cupcake with rich chai spice and sweet maple buttercream, thereβs an explosion of autumn in your mouth! I know, I know, thatβs a little dramatic, but this is no boring cupcake!
It is a quick and easy recipe to make and the end result is absolutely delicious! I have a feeling youβre going to love this latte-inspired cupcake as much as I do.
to make these chai latte cupcakesβ¦
These dairy free, egg free & nut free chai cupcakes are very simple to make and you can find the whole recipe card below. But hereβs a quick run down of the recipe.
- For the cupcakes, we start with steeping chai tea bags in medium/hot vegan milk. The chai spiced milk is key to adding all the fall feels into each cupcake.
- While the milk is steeping, mix the dry ingredients, incorporating plenty of the chai spice mix. Itβs a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and the tiniest pinch of black pepper. Youβll be using most of the spice mix in the cupcake batter, but save a little to dust on top of the frosting.
- While the tea cools, mix up the batter, by incorporating the dry with oil, yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Then slowly add the chai milk into the cupcake batter and mix until large lumps disappear. Fill cupcake tins with batter and bake.
the yummiest maple βbuttercreamβ frosting
Choosing the best flavor of frosting for this Chai cupcake was a but of an internal debate. I considered vanilla, cream cheese, and even mocha frosting for a Dirty Chai twist, but ended up landing on this maple buttercream.
Itβs sweet, but not too sweet, and the rich, warming flavors of pure maple syrup pair so nicely with the spicy chai.
This vegan buttercream frosting is super simple to make too! Simply whip butter until smooth, add powdered sugar then mix in pure maple syrup. For best best results, let your stand-up mixer run on high speed for about 5 minutes, scraping down side, until your frosting is light and fluffy. I promise, this is well worth it!
These chai cupcakes are glorious and I canβt wait for you sink your teeth into one. Itβs the best kind of fall inspired dessert!
more fall inspired desserts
Pumpkin Biscoff Cupcakes with Biscoff Buttercream (eggless, dairy free
Maple Glazed Donut Muffins |vegan + gluten-free
How to Make Gooey Vegan Sβmores Bars
The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars (gluten free option
New Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies (vegan + gluten free option)
Lastly, if you make these Chai Latte Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream Frosting be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! I love to hear from you guys, and of course, if you do make this recipe, donβt forget to tag me on Instagram and follow me on Pinterest for make vegan dessert ideas.
let’s start baking these chai tea latte cupcakes
Chai Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream
Sweet, chai-spiced cupcakes made with warming spices vegan yogurt. Each cupcake is generously frosted with the most delicious maple-infused frosting. Sooo much flavor to enjoy!
Ingredients
Chai Cupcakes
- 1 cup dairy-free milk of choice (soy, rice, flax)
- 4 black tea bags (or chai tea bags)
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt
- 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch of black pepper
Maple Buttercream
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 cup cold butter
Instructions
To make Chai Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350° and line cupcake tin with paper liners.
- Heat "milk" in a small saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat, add tea bags and cover to let steep 10 minutes. Lift teabags and squeeze gently to extract more spice. *you should still have 1 cups worth but if some evaporated out, just add a little more "milk" back into it.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, yogurt and vanilla and tea until smooth. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix until large lumps are gone.
- Fill tins to the top and bake 20-22 minutes or until tester comes out clean from the center. Let cool before frosting.
To make Maple Buttercream:
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined then add in maple syrup. Increase speed to high and beat up to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
To assemble the cupcakes:
Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe a swirl of buttercream onto each cupcake.
Decorating ideas: Sprinkle with chai spice mix, top with cinnamon sticks or anise stars.
Notes
*Serve these cupcakes fresh or store in a sealed container in or out of the fridge, the buttercream will firm up at room temperature.Β
Best eaten within a few days.
**Make these gluten free by subbing AP flour with 1:1 Gluten free blend.
***Adjust amount of spices by making chai spice blend in a small bowl, then add half to batter, taste and add more if desired.
****Use high quality maple syrup for best results.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 274mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 0gSugar: 35gProtein: 1g
Nutritional information is only an estimate based off of using an online calculator. Numbers will change depending on brands used.
How much flour…..not listed. I need gluten-free flour.