The DailyDyl

These Pumpkin Chai Latte cupcakes topped with espresso cream cheese frosting were a last minute addition to the Thanksgiving dessert spread this year.

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, my mom and I were running last-minute errands. When we finished up at the last place we needed to go, her car refused to start. While we waited in the car for the tow truck to arrive, I came across a video for a recipe on Instagram. After showing it to my mom, she decided we had to make it.

The recipe credit goes to Tabiibakes on Instagram.

The recipe makes about 15 cupcakes.

Ingredients for the chai spice:
– 2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
– 1/2 tsp ground cloves
– 1 tsp ground cardamom
– 1/4 tsp ground ginger
– 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
– 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients for the cupcakes:
– 1 1/2 cups cake flour (if you don’t have cake flour substitute all purpose flour and for each cup take our 2 tbsp and replace it with cornstarch!)
– 1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
– 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 eggs
– 1/2 cup milk
– 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients for the frosting
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.
– 4oz cream cheese
– 2 cups powdered sugar
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp espresso powder
– 1 tsp left over chai spice

Directions:
1. Chai spice: mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and ginger together. Take half of the mixture and combine it with the sugar and set aside. Use the other half for the cupcake batter.
2. Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Using a hand mixer/stand mixer, cream together the melted butter (or oil), both sugars, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until combined. Add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, half of the chai spice mixture (the half without sugar), and milk. Mix until smooth.
4. Line cupcake tin with liners and fill them 3/4 of the way up with batter. Place in the oven for 20-22min. Let cupcakes cool on a cooling rack.
5. Dip cupcakes into the sugar/chai spice mixture that was set aside.
6. Frosting: using a hand/stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese for 3min on med-high speed. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, espresso powder, and about 1 tsp of the remaining chai spice+sugar mixture and mix on high for 4min fluffy.
7. Frost each cupcake and sprinkle on remaining chai spice+sugar mixture.
8. Store in the fridge!