Chai Tea Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring milk to simmer in pan. Turn off heat, add chai tea bags, cover and let sit.

Sift dry ingredients (not sugar, which is considered a wet ingredient) together.

Put wet ingredients (except milk and vinegar) in a large bowl.

After milk has soaked for 5-10 minutes, remove tea bags and pour it into a measuring cup. If it doesn’t quite measure 1 cup, add a bit more milk. Add vinegar to milk, then whisk for a few seconds and let sit for 2 minutes.

Add milk to wet ingredients and whisk together. Fold in dry ingredients until there are only small lumps.

Spoon batter into a cupcake pan with paper liners. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until top springs back when gently poked with finger. Remove cupcakes in their liners and put on cooling rack. Allow to completely cool before frosting with buttercream.

Buttercream Frosting:

Warm milk in microwave or on stovetop.

Stir butter together with warmed milk and vanilla. Beat in sugar, 1 cup at a time, until creamy. If mixture seems dry, add another 1/8 cup of warmed milk. Add salt. Beat for another 6-8 minutes. This icing will store in the fridge for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 2 months.

Note: You can make a vegan version of this recipe by substituting soy milk or almond milk in both the cupcake and buttercream recipes. Instead of butter in the frosting, use 1 stick of Earth Balance Buttery Sticks and 1 stick of Earth Balance Shortening.