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Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013

Chai Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (& a Giveaway!)

Update Oct. 2, 2013: Congratulations to Rheta, Entry #5!! Thank you so much for entering-I have sent you an e-mail! 

Today I’m slightly freaking out.  I’ve been dreading this day for the past year-*groan*.  25 years old.  A quarter of a century year old.  Now I’m in my late 20’s.   How depressing is that???  Trying not to freak out….trying not to freak out!   I was seriously debating sitting in my room all day eating cake.  That sounds like a great option to pass the day!  

I do have plenty to be thankful for so-a great guy, family & friends.  And….of course, my twin, Marlina!  We talk the same, laugh the same, and pretty much do the same stuff.  I am so lucky to have her in my life-I don’t know what I would do without her.  We’ve shared a love for chai tea latte’s for as long as I can remember, so I thought it was appropriate to post this.  These cupcakes are simply delicious-a perfect blend of spices.  I only made a dozen cupcakes because well, they go by quickly. So when we finally get together and celebrate, I will make these for you!  Love you Mar & Happy Birthday!

And in trying to make light of today…we have decided to host our first giveaway-how exciting! The deets are below!
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
One winner will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon, delivered via email. Canadian & US residents only.

HOW TO ENTER
To enter to win, simply use the rafflecopter.com widget as entered below.

You can receive up to TWO additional entries (via rafflecopter) to win by doing the following:

1. Let us know your favorite fall recipe!
2. Become a fan of Peaches & Cream on Facebook.

Deadline: Saturday, Sept. 28th, 2013 at 11:59pm PST

Disclaimer: Canadian & US residents only. Must be of age of majority in the province/state/territory you live in. Void where prohibited by law. The winner will be announced at the top of this post. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be selected. Winners will be chosen using rafflecopter.com.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck-be sure to share with your friends! Wish everyone could win! :D
Chai Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
Chai Spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves

Cupcakes
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda
½ mixture of chai spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cups water

1 cups sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
,softened
1 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 large egg

Chai Vanilla Bean Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
½ vanilla bean, scraped
½ mixture of chai spice
up to 3 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS
Chai Spice
In a small bowl, mix together all the chai spices & set aside.

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the cupcake tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ½ of the chai spice mixture and salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine water & sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir until all the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until melted & allow to cool. Whisk in the vegetable oil and vanilla bean scrapings. Beat in the eggs and whisk in dry ingredients until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly between cupcake liners, approximately 2/3 full. Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick is inserted in the centre and comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

Vanilla Chai Bean Buttercream
In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. 

Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Increase speed to medium, add the vanilla bean, chai spice & milk until well incorporated.

Decorate with a pastry bag fitted with decorative tip-any kind you choose. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Source: adapted from The Novice Chef

20 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to you both! I felt the same way when I turned 25 but so far late twenties are pretty good :)...Love the sounds of these cupcakes - I like how you incorporated chai flavour into both the cake part and the frosting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Genevieve!! I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one that felt that way!!!
      These cupcakes are SO tasty-Gavin says that they are my best ones. SO GOOD!

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  2. Happy birthday ya'll! I absolutely love the look of these cupcakes- they look scrumptious and so so beautiful! Thank you for the recipe! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you-and you are so welcome;) Hope you enjoy!

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  3. One of my favorites is Vegetarian Tortilla Soup.

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  4. My favorite is Deep Dish Apple Pie.

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  5. I've never seen a cupcake recipe with so much water in it before. Does it make the cupcakes mushy in any way? Your pictures make them look lovely!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jenny,
      I didn't find that it did! They were quite moist as well. My hubby says they were the best cupcakes I've ever made! Thank you for your comment! :)

      Delete
  6. My favorite fall dessert? A big slice of pumpkin pie :)

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  7. Happy birthday! These cupcakes look like the perfect way to celebrate!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Natalie! It was a bittersweet day:P The cupcakes made it better!

      Delete
  8. Gotten over gettin' older yet? We should talk - I became twice what you did and I am still celebrating! I find celebrating has been therapeutic....
    And thank for the recipe - I like chai too!

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  9. I've featured these awesome fall flavored cupcakes on my blog, hoping that you don't mind, but if you do, please contact me and I'll remove it. All the best.

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  10. How much vanilla extract would I need to substitute it for the vanilla bean.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Victoria,
      Although I haven't tried it for this recipe, I would suggest using 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
      Hope that helps!
      Good luck!

      Delete

 

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