Chai Spiced Cupcakes and Blogiversary Giveaway {CLOSED}

I can’t believe my blog is three years old today! Thank you so much for all of your support. To celebrate, I made Chai Spiced Cupcakes and am attaching a giveaway to this post. The original cupcake recipe did not call for any actual Chai, just the spices- ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper. I took it a step further and steeped a Chai tea bag in heated milk before adding the milk to the batter. You can skip this step and omit the tea if you just want the spices in the cupcakes.

I used large cupcake liners so only had enough batter for 12 cupcakes. For average liners, you will get closer to 14-16. Evan helped pipe the frosting and made it extra tall, so there wasn’t enough for the whole batch of cupcakes. So if you want all of your cupcakes to have frosting, don’t pile it on as high.

For the giveaway: I am giving one lucky reader a favorite cookbook I have come across recently: Rose Petal Jam: Recipes and Stories from a Summer in Poland(review here), a kitchen scale to accompany the cookbook: Ozeri Pro Digital Kitchen Food Scale, 1g to 12 lbs Capacity, in Stylish Black, and the paper cups I used for these cupcakes: (2 Pack) Standard Lotus Baking Cups, / Cupcake Liner Muffin Wrapper, 24 Pieces (12-ct/Box).

Congratulations to Tavia C. with comment #13: My favorite cook book is Taste of Virginia Tech right now because I miss college!!

Giveaway Entry Rules: Enter to win a copy of Rose Petal Jam: Recipes and Stories from a Summer in Poland, Ozeri Pro Digital Kitchen Food Scale, and 2 packs of Standard Lotus Baking Cups. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years or older and reside in the continental United States. The giveaway will open on Friday, October 30, 2015 and close on Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST. One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments via Random.org and contacted via the email (so please give your email in the email section of the comment form- only I will see it) given and on this post. The number of eligible entries received determine the odds of winning. You will have 24 hours to respond via email or another comment will be randomly chosen. Void where prohibited by law.

Mandatory Entry: Leave one comment on this post answering the following question- What is your current favorite cookbook?

Bonus Entries: Leave a comment for each of the additional entries. If you already follow me, leave a comment to let me know you already follow me on each of the following:

1. Subscribe to Tara’s Multicultural Table via Email or RSS feed- link is on the right sidebar below the follow me buttons

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4. Retweet this giveaway- include @TaraMCTable

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Disclaimer and Disclosure: All opinions stated here are my own. I am hosting this giveaway and bought all the items on Amazon.com.

Chai Spiced Cupcakes
Adapted from Taste and Tell, from Taste of Home Bake Shop Favorites: 383 Reader Recipes You’ll Love
12-16 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
2/3 cup milk
1 chai tea bag (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
Reserved spices
Ground cinnamon for sprinkling

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-16 muffin tins with liners or grease.

Use a small saucepan or microwave to heat the milk until hot, but not boiling. Add the tea bag and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the moisture from the bag and discard.

In a small bowl, mix together ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla extract. If needed, use a spatula to scrape down the sides.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture. Reserve the extra for the frosting.

Add 1/3rd of the flour mixture to the mixer and stir until just combined. Add half the milk and stir, then another 1/3rd flour, remaining milk, and remaining flour.

Fill the prepared muffin tins 2/3rds full with batter. Bake in preheated oven until cooked through and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan before removing to wire rack to cool to room temperature.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix in vanilla and remaining spice mixture. Slowly add milk until desired consistency and spreadable. Transfer to piping bag or large plastic bag with the corner snipped off and pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle tops with a little ground cinnamon before serving.