Sourdough Chai Cupcakes with Chai-Spiced Buttercream

Sourdough Chai Cupcakes – a tender cupcake bursting with comforting, warming spices, like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, topped high with a light and fluffy chai-spiced buttercream frosting. It’s a seasonal delight that captures the essence of fall in every bite!

Sourdough Chai Cupcakes are a must-bake recipe this fall! This delicious recipe combines the warmth of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom, with a touch of black pepper for a Masala chai-inspired experience. 

Thanks to the addition of sour cream and sourdough discard to the batter, these cupcakes are incredibly light and airy in texture. Each bite is moist and so tender.

Topping off these treats is a fluffy chai-spiced buttercream frosting that’s simple to make yet incredibly satisfying. 

This easy-to-follow sourdough discard recipe brings bakery-quality results to your home kitchen, allowing you to indulge in the cozy flavors of autumn effortlessly. Pair these Sourdough Chai Cupcakes with a strong cup of coffee to enjoy the charm of chai and the goodness of sourdough.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

​A Perfect Autumn Treat:

​Full of warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, Sourdough Chai Cupcakes takes a classic fall drink and turns it into an edible delight! 

Super Easy Recipe: 

​These Sourdough Chai Cupcakes are a no-fuss recipe! Simply mix the batter and bake for delicious and unique cupcakes time and time again.

Great Way to Use Sourdough Discard: 

If you’re like me, I’m always looking for new and delicious ways to use up my sourdough discard. From Fluffy Apple Pancakes to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins to these Sourdough Chai Cupcakes, the yummy possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

Sourdough Chai Cupcakes

Flour – I used sifted all-purpose flour, but unbleached cake flour is another excellent choice for soft and tender cupcakes.

Leaveners –  Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and active, otherwise the cupcakes won’t rise properly.

Chai Spice Mix – A blend of cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, all-spice, and black pepper brings the perfect chai flavor to these sourdough cupcakes.

Salt –  Any unrefined salt will do, but my favorite is Redmond’s unrefined salt for some extra minerals!

Unsalted Butter – Subtract 1/4 teaspoon of salt from the recipe if you are using Salted Butter.

Sugar – I used white granulated sugar, but you can substitute it with others, like coconut sugar or turbinado sugar.

Eggs – Bring eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of hot water for at least 5 minutes. 

Sour Cream – It is best to use room-temperature sour cream for the ingredients to mix properly and the batter to rise. 

Milk – Bring the milk to room temperature quickly by heating it for 15-20 seconds in a microwave-safe bowl.

Unfed Sourdough Starter – I prefer using sourdough discard that is no older than a week for sweet recipes like these Sourdough Chai Cupcakes.

Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract, rather than imitation vanilla, for the best flavor!

Chai-Spiced Buttercream Frosting

Unsalted Butter – For the buttercream to be smooth, it is important that the butter is at room temperature before mixing. 

Powdered Sugar – Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing to prevent sugar from flying everywhere!

Homemade Chai Spices – Use a portion of the warming spices made for the cupcakes for a lovely chai flavoring. 

Vanilla Extract – Again, for the best vanilla flavor, use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation.

Heavy Cream – Add just a touch of heavy cream, 1-2 T,  until you have reached your desired consistency. 

Supplies

Stand Mixer

Hand Mixer

Large Mixing Bowls

Rubber Spatula

Kitchen Scale

Cupcake Tins

Cupcake Liners

Wire Rack

How to Make Chai Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f and line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. 

Tip: To help prevent the cupcake liners from sticking to the cupcakes, spray the liners lightly with cooking spray before adding the batter. 

In a small mixing bowl, mix the ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, ground cloves, and black pepper. You will use 3 teaspoons for the cupcakes, 2 teaspoons for the frosting, and the rest to dust the tops of the Sourdough Chai Cupcakes. 

Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, 3 teaspoons of the homemade chai spice mix, and salt. Set to the side. 

Wet Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and sourdough starter discard until smooth. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter at medium speed for 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed. 

Next, add in the eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed until combined. Again, scrape the sides of the bowl when needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix well. 

Combine

Alternate between the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, starting with adding a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix at low speed, until all of the ingredients are combined, don’t overmix.

Divide the cupcake batter evenly into 14 lined cupcake liners and fill 3/4 of the way full. 

Bake

Bake the Sourdough Chai Cupcakes for 16-17 minutes. The cupcakes are done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Keep the cupcakes in the cupcake tin for an additional 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

How to Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the room-temperature butter and powdered sugar at medium speed until smooth.

Next, add 2 teaspoons of your own chai spice mix, the vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix until combined. 

Finally, add 1-2 Tablespoons of heavy cream until the desired consistency is reached.  

Beat the frosting on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

How to Decorate

You can frost the tops of these Sourdough Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes with a frosting knife or a piping bag. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip to decorate my cupcakes.  

Leave these chai latte cupcakes clean and simple or continue to decorate with a dusting of the chai spice mix. If you are feeling fancy, top the sourdough cupcakes with a star anise or a cinnamon stick. This will certainly catch your guests’ attention. 

How to Store

Leftover Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes are to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, but they are best served at room temperature. Remove the cupcakes from the fridge at least 1 hour before serving.

FAQs:

Can I Turn these Cupcakes into a Cake?

Yes! This original recipe can be converted into a single-layer Sourdough Vanilla Cake. Pour the cake batter into a prepared pan, 6-in cake pan, and bake for 23-27 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.

Why Bake with Sourdough Discard?

Some baked goods will be baked with acidic ingredients like buttermilk or lemon juice because the acidity of these ingredients will tenderize the gluten. This helps create baked goods that have a light and fluffy crumb. Sourdough discard is also acidic and will also help your baked goods be moist and tender. 

Happy baking!

More Sourdough Desserts Like This:

Rustic Apple Galette with a Sourdough Pie Crust

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies