These mini chocolate chai cupcakes are the perfect bite sized treats. Chai spice is full of warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Serve them for a small party , brunch or afternoon snack.I love making mini cupcakes. They’re so cute and the size is perfect if you just want a small bite. Well, ok, let me take that back. It makes you feel like you are just eating a little bit. We all know that you end up eating multiple cupcakes, probably the equivalent of a regular size cupcake (or sometimes more if you’re not paying attention).

I find that recipes for mini cupcakes always tend to make at least 50 or more cupcakes. I always have to refill my pan multiple times to use up the batter. I keep telling myself I should just invest in another pan. So I was really excited to discover this giant pan from Wilton. It holds 48 mini cupcakes at once! I don’t know how long it's been around, but it was news to me.

Anyways, I think anything mini is great for the holiday season. Bite size desserts are perfect for all the holiday parties and casual get-togethers that keep us so busy this month. Some of my favorites are these mini almond joy cheesecakes and mini chai spice donuts.

I wanted share something mini and something that makes you feel warm. Chai spice is full of warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. That's what makes this chai frosting oh so good.  These are perfect for the holidays and making your house smell so good!

I most recently made them for a baby shower brunch along with these mini saffron cupcakes  and they were both a hit!

How To Make Chocolate Chai Cupcakes

1. Cupcakes: I used my favorite simple chocolate cupcake recipe and added some cardamom to it. I didn't add the other chai flavors you may not notice it with chocolate. If you make vanilla cupcakes, I recommend adding some homemade chai spice to the batter or you can use the same proportions of spice provided in the frosting recipe below.
2. Chai Frosting: This frosting is made with milk infused with real tea. The tea milk is added to the butter, sugar and chai spices to make a chai flavored buttercream.

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Chocolate Chai Cupcakes

Yield: 50 mini cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These mini chocolate with chai frosting cupcakes are the perfect bite sized treats. Chai spice is full of warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Serve them for a small party , brunch or afternoon snack.

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Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 oz sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ⅝ cup strong coffee, cooled

For the frosting

• ¼ cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons loose black tea
• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Instructions

For the cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line your cupcake pan with liners. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the cardamom, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift together or thoroughly mix with a whisk.
3. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and vanilla.
4. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add the egg to the butter and sugar and mix to fully incorporate.
6. On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream in five additions ending with the flour.
7. Slowly add the coffee and mix until the batter is smooth.
8. Using a mini scoop, place a scant scoop of batter into each cupcake liner.
9. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before frosting

For the frosting

1. Heat the milk in the microwave or stove top to just boiling. Remove and steep the loose tea in it for at least 15 minutes. Strain the milk and set aside.
2. In an electric mixer, paddle the butter until smooth, like ice cream.
3. Add half of the sugar and then the milk while slowly mixing. Allow it to incorporate.
4. Add the rest of the sugar and spices.
5. Beat until fluffy. You may need to add a little more milk or sugar to adjust the consistency.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 50 Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 77Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 64mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 0g

This nutrition information is only an approximate provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. Information comes from Nutritionix, an automated nutrition calculator.

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