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A combination of my two favorite things: Chai Lattes and cupcakes! These easy, homemade chai latte cupcakes combine deliciously warm chai spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger with soft, fluffy cupcakes. This is the ultimate coffee house-inspired treat.
These cupcakes are a must-try for the fall time! The airy cupcake base with the rich warm chai spiced buttercream pushes all other fall desserts that I’ve made in the past to the backlines. I personally love chai lattes any time of year so when I went looking for a cupcake recipe, this just called my name! My hubby, who never had a chai latte before or even wanted to try one, loved them too! Maybe he can share my love for chai lattes soon. I, of course, adapted it to my preferences. The original creator of this recipe is Sally’s Baking Addiction. I’m not good at baking pastries or desserts of any kind. I can only cook, which can sometimes be a downfall but also a benefit.
I can’t pipe icing correctly, so my picture isn’t the best. It also didn’t help that I had to use a makeshift piping bag (AKA a Ziploc bag). My hands are shaky when I try to focus on something like that, so it’s messy. I’ll try to get a better picture in the future!
How to make Chai Latter Cupcakes
I loved how these cupcakes came out. Despite the list of ingredients, these cupcakes are easy to make. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Cake Flour: This gives cupcakes and cakes a light and delicate texture compared to all-purpose flour. If you don’t have cake flour, there is a substitute for it! For 1 cup of cake flour, you need 14 tbsp of all-purpose flour and 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Sifting them together is extremely important.
- Milk & Chai Tea Bags: Used to steep bags of chai tea for the cupcakes. You want regular chai tea bags that have black tea. You can use flavored ones if you wish. You can use dairy-free milk in place of regular milk. I recommend using oat milk.
- Heavy Cream & Powdered Sugar: Used in the butter cream.
- Unsalted Butter: You’re going to need A LOT of butter. I use Country Crock Plant-Based Butter in everything. It spreads easier and is creamier than dairy butter. Dairy butter will work just as well!
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda
- Chai Spice Mix: Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Allspice, Nutmeg
- Vanilla Extract
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg Whites: Helps the cupcake become fluffy
- Sour Cream
- Salt
Combine together the Chai Spice Mix ingredients. Bring milk to a boil of heat in the microwave until hot. Pour the milk over the tea bags and let it steep for 20-30 minutes. It will be room temperature after the time is up, which is fine. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, 5 tsp chai spice mix, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or another large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on high speed until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high until combined, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Lower the speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the steeped chai milk until just combined. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before icing. For the frosting: with the standing mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer and a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Stop the mixer, and add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, 3 1/2 tsp chai spice mix, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed. Frost the cooled cupcakes, sprinkle the remaining chai spice mix on top and serve.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Make Ahead: You can steep the tea in the milk a day in advance. The cupcakes can be made a day in advance, covered, and stored in the fridge. The frosting can also be made a day in advance, covered, and stored in the fridge until ready to use.
- Freeze: Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Why does all of the dairy need to be at room temperature? Room temperature ingredients for baking help the batter mix together easily and evenly. When dairy ingredients are at room temperature, (IE eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients), they form an emulsion that traps air. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy baked good. Cold ingredients do not incorporate easily. Using cold ingredients for baking will result in clumpy frostings, chunky cheesecakes, dense cookies, flat breads & muffins, etc.
- I don’t keep/want to buy cake flour. What else can I do? For 1 cup of cake flour, you need 14 tbsp (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) of all-purpose flour and 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Sifting them together is extremely important. Not only does sifting mix the two ingredients correctly, it also creates an airy cupcake so the consistency is similar to actual cake flour.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Chai Latte Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ginger
- 2 tsp cardamom
- 3/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup milk, whole or 2%, room temperature
- 2 bags of chai tea
- 3 cups cake flour, leveled
- 5 tsp chai spice mix (above)
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 5 egg whites, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 1/4 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 10 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 1/2 tsp chai spice mix, divided
- 3 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Cinnamon sticks, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Mix the chai spice ingredients together and set aside.
- There will be some leftovers to garnish the cupcakes with if you wish!
- Bring the milk to a boil or heat it in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Pour the milk over the tea bags and steep for 20-30 minutes. It’ll be at room temperature by the time it’s done steeping, which is ok!
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Whisk together the cake flour, 5 tsp of the chai spice mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer and a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Turn the speed of the mixer to low speed, then add in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still on low speed, slowly pour in the chai milk until just combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be slightly thick, and that’s ok.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full. It will overflow if you fill it any higher.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before frosting them.
- Using a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer and a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Stop the mixer and add in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, 3 1/2 tsp of the chai spice mix, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Beat on low speed for 30 seconds (some of it may spill out while beating. Just keep an eye on that!), then increase the speed to high. Beat for about 2 minutes, or until the icing just comes together.
- If the frosting looks curdled or greasy, add 1 tbsp of powdered sugar more at a time to smooth it out. If the frosting looks too thick to pipe or spread, beat in another tbsp of heavy cream at a time.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with cinnamon sticks and a pinch of the leftover chai spice mix.
Notes
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I adjusted to my own needs.
Storage: Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Make Ahead: You can steep the tea in the milk a day in advance. The cupcakes can be made a day in advance, covered, and stored in the fridge. The frosting can also be made a day in advance, covered, and stored in the fridge until ready to use.
- Freeze: Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Why does all of the dairy need to be at room temperature? Room temperature ingredients for baking help the batter mix together easily and evenly. When dairy ingredients are at room temperature, (IE eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients), they form an emulsion that traps air. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy baked good. Cold ingredients do not incorporate easily. Using cold ingredients for baking will result in clumpy frostings, chunky cheesecakes, dense cookies, flat breads & muffins, etc.
Milk & Chai Tea Bags: Used to steep bags of chai tea for the cupcakes. You want regular chai tea bags that have black tea. You can use flavored ones if you wish. You can use dairy-free milk in place of regular milk. I recommend using oat milk.
I don’t keep/want to buy cake flour. What else can I do? For 1 cup of cake flour, you need 14 tbsp (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) of all-purpose flour and 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Sifting them together is extremely important. Not only does sifting mix the two ingredients correctly, but it also creates an airy cupcake so the consistency is similar to actual cake flour.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
580.78Fat (grams)
28.88 gSat. Fat (grams)
17.94 gCarbs (grams)
79.22 gFiber (grams)
0.77 gSugar (grams)
65.89 gProtein (grams)
3.53 gSodium (milligrams)
171.78 mgCholesterol (grams)
77.15 mgThe nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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