Chai Tea Cupcakes with a Honey Ginger Frosting

In this tea-inspired recipe, Lovely Lady Cakes shows us how to make Chai Tea Cupcakes with a Honey Ginger Frosting — all from scratch and using fresh spices. #RealBrewedRecipes

Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 1/3 c (315ml) milk
- 6 tbsp loose black tea
- 15 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 tsp fennel
- ½" of ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 ¾ c (390 g) flour
- 2 c (398 g) sugar
- 2 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 c (237 g) butter, room temp
- Cinnamon, for garnish

For the Honey Ginger Cream:
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, room temp
- 6 tbsp (85 g) butter, room temp
- ½ c (118 ml) honey
- 1 ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
- 3 ½ c (547 g) confectioners' sugar

Process
For the Chai Tea Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Oil and line two 12-cup cupcake pans and set aside.
2. Place the milk, tea, cardamom, fennel and ginger in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer and let bubble for 30 seconds.
3. Remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes.
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand-mixer, cream together the sugar and butter on a low speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Set aside.
6. Crack 4 eggs into a separate bowl and add 2 additional egg yolks and vanilla. Set aside.
7. Strain the flavored milk into the eggs, discard the grounds.
8. Pour ⅓ of each the wet and dry ingredients into the bowl of the stand-mixer and stir to combine.
9. Repeat 2 more times until all the wet and dry ingredients are well incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.
10. Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter evenly among the two pans and bake 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed in the center.
11. Cool cupcakes in pans on a rack for ten minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans and set aside to cool slightly while you make your frosting.

For the Honey Ginger Cream:
1. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
2. Add honey and ginger and whip to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the sugar in two batches, and beat until fully incorporated.

To Assemble:
Using an offset spatula, top cupcakes with a tablespoon of honey ginger cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!

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