Chocolate Chai Cupcakes

It’s my BIRTHDAY! I get excited for these things. Personally, I think birthdays are very special. Mostly because it’s YOUR day. Everyone gets Christmas on the same day. You share an anniversary with your spouse, but your birthday? That’s all yours baby! (OK, unless you’re a twin…). Point being, everyone should get what they want on their birthday. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate mine than sharing one of my favorite dessert recipes that I recently created with all of you!

In the definition of irony, this Health Coach has a sweet tooth! True story. I LOVE dessert! BUT - I don’t like it to be TOO sweet. And when it comes to cupcakes, the cake to frosting ratio has to be just right! Which results in me often making my own birthday cake/dessert because, well, I’m picky! (As we all have a right to be!). Similar to last week’s Greek Chicken recipe, I created this one for an event I did at a spice shop. I loved the challenge of finding a way to incorporate spice into sweet! It took about 3 batches, and many happy guinea pigs, to find the perfect balance of flavors! And I’m really excited to share it with you.

Chai spices are all the flavors I love this time of year. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger…all creating this delicious, warm, spiced flavor that works really well with dark chocolate! Not only that, but the spices themselves are SUPER anti-inflammatory, further creating balance in the cupcake (‘cause it is still cake after all). My version also happens to be dairy free! That’s really just a coincidence since I have a slight dairy allergy. But I think it’s hard for people to find dairy free dessert recipes. If you want to go full vegan with i you can use an egg substitute like fall seed and water or mashed banana.

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Then there’s that frosting. You COULD call it “plain vanilla” but it’s the perfect compliment to these sweet and spicy cupcakes! It’s basically the cake equivalent of that beautiful foam on top of a chai latte! I flavor it with vanilla paste instead of extract (a tip I got from my friend Risa, chef/owner of Vanillamore in Montclair NJ). The flavor is deeper than extract, but you can still use it 1 to 1 in recipes. It IS a bit more expensive, but there’s no alcohol in it. Plus you can actually see those gorgeous little flecks of vanilla bean. Finally I add JUST enough confectioners sugar to create a frosting that will hold! (Though if you leave them out on the counter too long, the frosting will get pretty soft).

I hope you use this recipe to celebrate someone or something special in your life - or hell, just to make cupcakes! Check out the video and the recipe below!

Buon Appetito!

Chocolate Chair Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 C. All-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground clove
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1 C. dark brown sugar (lightly packed)
6 Tbs. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. milk
1/4 C. coconut oil
1 egg

For the Frosting
3 sticks (or 3/4lb.) of butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 C. heavy cream
1 1/2 C. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
pinch of fine salt

To Make the Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, black pepper, ginger, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well to make sure there are no lumps.

Add milk, egg and oil to the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.

Spoon batter into cupcake tin, filling each one about 2/3 of the way.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

To Make the Frosting:

Beat the butter until smooth. Slowly add in the heavy cream and vanilla bean paste. Beat until well combined.

Add in salt and then, in small batches, add in the confectioners sugar. Beating until each addition is well combined. For a stiffer, sweeter frosting, add more sugar.

Set the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To frost the cupcakes, spoon the frosting into a piping bag, or cut the corner off of a gallon size zip baggie. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. OR, simply use a butter knife and pile the frosting onto the cupcakes.