0 Cardamom Cupcakes with Masala Chai Frosting

This truly autumnal cupcake is chocked full of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, clove and cardamom. I topped it with a masala chai frosting to complement the spices in the cupcake.

Chai is the generic word for tea in many South Asian countries. So when you hear someone say "chai tea" they are actually saying "tea tea" without realizing it. In America chai usually means masala chai which is a brewed tea with spices, some kind of sweetener and milk.

For my frosting I began by making a custard. That may sound a bit strange, but it's something I've been trying out lately when making frosting. I steep warm milk with a healthy dose of my desired flavoring (like tea or coffee) to create a fragrant and flavorful brew. I combine it with egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch and cook it until it becomes slightly thickened. Then I beat the custard until it cools down before adding the butter.

I have used this custard method frosting with loose tea leaves, coffee beans or fresh herbs like mint and thyme. This time I took a short cut by using spiced black tea bags instead of using loose black tea leaves and whole spices and it worked pretty well.

chai custard

The tea custard base makes for a very rich and silky buttercream frosting that has a lovely spicy tea flavor and isn't too sweet. This frosting might be a bit too soft to hold its shape after piping so if you're hoping to do that, you can always leave out the 2 tablespoons of honey and mix in 3 or 4 tablespoons (or more if you like) powdered sugar to help stiffen up the frosting.



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