Chocolate Chai Cup cakes
Cardamom, ginger and cloves add a warm chai flavour to these super-chocolaty cupcakes. The potency of aromatic spices decreases over time; for maximum flavour, store them in a cool, dark place, away from light and humidity, and discard old spices every six months.
Hands-on time: 35 minutes Total time: 1¾ hours Makes: 24 cupcakes
Cupcakes: 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar ⅔ cup cocoa powder, sifted 2 tsp each baking soda and cinnamon 1½ tsp ground cardamom ½ tsp each ground ginger and salt pinch ground cloves 1 cup vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla 3 tbsp cider vinegar Chocolate Icing: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened ⅓ cup whipping cream (35%) 2 tsp vanilla 2¾ cups icing sugar 1 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted ¼ tsp cinnamon pinch each ground cardamom, ground ginger, ground cloves and salt 100 g semisweet chocolate (about 3½ oz), melted and cooled Chocolate Drizzle: 75 g semisweet chocolate (about 2⅓ oz), melted and cooled
Cupcakes: In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, salt and cloves; whisk in oil, vanilla and 2 cups water. Stir in vinegar. Divide batter among 2 paperlined 12-count muffin pans. Bake in 350°F oven, 1 pan at a time, until cake tester inserted in centres comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack to cool completely. Chocolate Icing: While cupcakes are cooling, in large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy; beat in cream and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together icing sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and salt; beat into butter mixture until smooth. Beat in chocolate, scraping down side of bowl, until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes. Using piping bag fitted with large plain tip, pipe icing onto cupcakes.
Chocolate Drizzle: Drizzle chocolate over icing.
PER CUPCAKE: about 376 cal, 3 g pro, 21 g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 48 g carb (2 g dietary fibre, 34 g sugar), 25 mg chol, 158 mg sodium, 118 mg potassium. % RDI: 1% calcium, 11% iron, 8% vit A, 11% folate.