You're going to be blown away by how easy and tasty these Chai cupcakes are to make!
This adorable cupcakes take just 20 minutes to prepare!
★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
The cake is spiced with an actual chai tea bag and topped with a super simple but very flavorful, eggnog buttercream icing.
A fun and yummy treat with flavors inspired by the famous Taylor Swift cookies, these chai-eggnog cupcakes are perfect for fall. Fall wedding? These cupcakes would look stunning and delight guests.
Want to change up your Thanksgiving dessert options? These fit right in. Or make these cupcakes through the holidays from Christmas to New Year's.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
These cupcakes are super easy to make. We are doctoring plain white cake mix. This saves time and simplifies shopping.
If eggnog is in season and available at stores, great! If not, I have an easy eggnog recipe you can use to make your own.
Here's everything you'll need to make these gorgeous chai cupcakes:
- White cake mix. Just plain white cake mix is best. I recommend avoiding French vanilla as it tends to have a fake-tasting vanilla flavor. We'll be adding our own vanilla extract so no need for the fake stuff! If you really want to flavor the cake itself, you can add a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter.
- Chai tea bag. You are simply opening up the tea bag and adding all those fragrant spices to the cake batter. I prefer Tazo Chai tea. One tea bag adds just the right amount of spice to the cake.
- Eggs. I prefer corn-fed, hen-laid eggs. They are pricey but taste much better and you won't get as much "eggy" flavor coming through in your cake.
- Nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk these into the cake mix batter for extra flavor. You need just a pinch of salt.
- Milk. This adds creaminess and richness to the cake batter.
- Butter and oil. These two combine forces to add more richness and plenty of moisture.
- Powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggnog. These ingredients combine to form a thick and flavorful buttercream frosting. Be sure to use pure vanilla extra. Imitation extract will not produce a desirable flavor.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
These cupcakes are unique, moist, and delicious yet are super easy to make.
Here's a look at what's involved. You can get the full recipe below.
- Whisk nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt into cake mix.
- Stir in eggs, milk, and vanilla (if desired).
- Scoop batter into a lined cupcake tin.
- Bake.
- Beat together frosting ingredients.
- Add frosting to piping bag.
- Frost cooled cupcakes.
- Garnish with star anise and a cinnamon stick.
This process is quick and easy. In fact, everything can be accomplished in less than 20 minutes! How's that for an easy dessert?
★ Tips & FAQs ★
How to Prevent Lumpy Frosting
Lumpy frosting generally is the result of two things:
1. Butter that isn't softened to room temperature.
2. Powdered sugar that isn't sifted.
If you don't own a sifter. That's OK. You can whisk the powdered sugar in a bowl by itself to remove clumps. You can also use a wire colander. Add powdered sugar to colander, placing a large bowl underneath. Shake the colander until powdered sugar is emptied into the bowl.
Perfectly Frosted Cupcakes
The key here is using a piping bag. You can buy a piping set on amazon that comes with tips which is great if you're looking for that ribbon-effect.
However, you can also use a plastic sandwich bag with a corner cut off to for a small hole. This will give you a nice, smooth pipe of frosting to work with. I recommend cutting a ¼-1/2" hole for best results.
Use a cookie scoop to measure batter
A cookie scoop is such a useful baking tool. Well worth the investment if you enjoy baking and don't already have one.
If you need one, of course you can shop cookie scoops on amazon or find them at most grocery stores. A standard sized scoop is 3 tablespoons.
For this recipe, two level scoops of batter will give you perfectly sized cupcakes.
Storage
These cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days. For best results store in a container mostly covered but allows some airflow.
Cupcakes will store well in the fridge, loosely covered, for up to 5 days. I use a cupcake container with lid but I loosely lay the lid on top. I find if you seal off air, the cupcakes can gather moisture and become soggy. But it you do not cover them, they will quickly dry out.
To freeze cupcakes, store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
★ More Recipes You'll Love ★
More Sweet (and Super Easy) Treats
Need a great eggnog recipe?
Here's my simple homemade eggnog recipe.
This doctored cake mix recipe for chai cupcakes with buttercream frosting was featured on South Your Mouth!
Chai Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14.25 oz box white cake mix
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 cup milk
- 3 large eggs
Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 2 to 4 cups sifted powdered sugar more or less to taste
- ¼ cup eggnog
- 1 tablespoon bourbon or brandy (or use additional eggnog)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish
- 24 star anise pods optional
- 24 cinnamon sticks optional
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix with nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, and melted butter. Stir until combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, spoon two scoops into each cup or a lined cupcake tray.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350˚ for 8-10 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake or cupcakes will dry out.
- Remove from oven and carefully remove cupcakes from the hot pan and let them cool for 10 minutes. Use a fork to gently lift cupcakes from the tray if needed.
- While cupcakes are cooling, blend frosting ingredients together in a bowl.Transfer frosting to a piping bag with tip of your choice. Frost cupcakes in a spiral starting with the outside edge, working towards the center.
- Garnish each with a star anise pod and a cinnamon stick. (optional)
Melissa K says
You mention vanilla for the cake in the article, but it’s not listed in the recipe. It also doesn’t say when to add the oil. An inexperienced baker might get confused.
I really liked the cake, but the icing was so sweet. I think maybe adding more butter and a bit of salt might help with the sweetness.