Desserts

Masala Chai Cupcakes

The refreshing morning cup of piping hot Masala Chai is a lifestyle habit I have inherited like most of the Indian progeny…. and so was utterly delighted when I received these bottles of masala from Cafe Junyali! It struck me in a flash that I had to take these ethereal flavours beyond the usual cuppa of chai which really got me thinking…

India and its ubiquitous Masala Chai have been around for almost eternity. A potion which surely rejuvenates you after a long days work, travel or tiredness… But I was keen to churn out something sweet with this magic melange of Indian spices.

After some serious brain racking, I thought of trying these gooey sponge cakes with buttercream frosting infused with traditional chai flavour. A little hesitant when it first came out of the oven but glad the feeling of trepidation didn’t last too long. They turned out simply delicious thanks to the gorgeous masala flavours from Cafe Junyali!

Do give this one a try, friends!

Masala Chai Cupcakes

Course	Dessert
Servings	10 Big Cupcakes
Prep time	10 min.
Cook time	25 min.
Ingredients Masala Chai Cupcakes (1 cup = 250 ml) (1 tbsp = 15 ml)
200 ml	full-fat milk
1 Tsp	Tea leaves
5-6 nos.	Green cardamom
4 nos.	Cloves
1-inch stick	cinnamon stick
100 gms	Salted butter (Amul) at room temperature
130 gms	All-purpose flour
200 gms	condensed milk
30 gms	castor sugar
1 1/4 th tsp	baking powder
1/2 Tsp	baking soda
1 Tsp	Cafe Junyali chai masala powder
Instructions for the Masala Chai Cupcakes
1.	Crush the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick in a mortar n pestle.
2.	Heat the milk. Add the crushed spices and tea leaves. Bring to a boil. Cool and strain the milk mixture
3.	In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and Cafe Junyali chai masala powder. Mix well
4.	In another bowl beat the butter & sugar until fluffy. Add the condensed milk and continue to beat. Now add the cooled tea to the batter and mix well. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet & fold gently. Make sure there are no lumps
5.	Pour the batter into greased and lined cupcake moulds. Fill up to 3/4 th of the moulds, leaving room for it to rise during baking
6.	Bake in a preheated hot oven (@180 C or 160 C fan assisted ) for 20-25 minutes
7.	Insert a skewer to check if it comes out dry. Then your cupcake is ready.
8.	Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Ingredients for buttercream frosting (1 cup = 250 ml) (1 tbsp = 15 ml)
100 gms	Amul butter at room temperature
225 gms	Icing sugar
15 ml	milk
1/2 Tsp	Cafe Junyali chai masala powder
Instructions for buttercream frosting
1.	Take the room temperature butter and start beating it till light.
2.	Gradually add the sugar little at a time and beat for at least 5 minutes to get it light and fluffy. Add the chai masala powder and continue to beat
3.	Finally, mix in the milk, beat and finish.
4.	If not using then cover with cling wrap and freeze. Else put in a piping bag and pipe the cooled cupcakes