Good Food Sisters: Happy Birthday to Cupcake!!!!

This is my little Sister Kristen….

I some times call her Cupcake, because she is the Cupcake Master. She is the funniest, most hilarious person I know. Our laughing fits are some of my most favorite moments together.

To say that my Sister is dear to me would be a total understatement. I love that girl with every ounce of me. Her love and friendship mean the world to me. I am grateful that she is a part of my life and for each moment that we have had together. We are just about as opposite as they come, but through this she brings me balance, strength and inspiration. But what I admire most about my Sister is that no matter what comes her way, she always stays grounded, holds strong and perseveres.

Thank you for all that you are and every thing that you inspire me to be, Kristen. You mean more to me than I can ever find the words for. I could not ask for a better or more beautiful Sister. Happy Birthday Cupcake! Sending you lots of LOVE from Washington!

Can you guess what I might be making today in honor of my Sister????? You guessed it, CUPCAKES!!! Kristen loves Chai flavored things, so I naturally decided on a Chai Cupcake with butter cream frosting of course! (we are butter cream aficionadas) This is my first go at cupcakes and I am psyched at how they turned out!

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes
Makes 24

(Recipe source http://thenovicechefblog.com/)

Ingredients

FOR CHAI SPICE MIX

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FOR CUPCAKE
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 of chai spice mix
1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (don’t worry about the smell it bakes off)

FOR VANILLA CHAI BUTTERCREAM
2 stick (1 cup) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 of chai spice mix
1-2 tbs cold milk, if needed

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix spices together for Chai Spice Mix in small bowl.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and beat in one egg at a time. Stir in half the quantity of chai spice mix. Fold in the flour and buttermilk alternately and stir until combined, don’t over mix. Mix together the baking soda and vinegar and mix into the batter.

Spoon into prepared cupcake cases until 3/4 full and bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you can smell the cupcakes earlier, check to make sure they aren't browning earlier (this means they're ready). If you aren't certain, turn off the oven earlier and let them sit for a few more minutes rather than baking them until they are hard as a rock.

For the frosting beat the butter until it is creamy. On low, mix in the vanilla and the rest of the chai spice mix. Carefully beat in the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time. If the buttercream is too thick add 1-2 tbs of cold milk until the desired consistency is reached. I found licking the spoon was a very important step at this point. :) Then have fun decorating onto cooled cupcakes with your favorite frosting tip.

For the special occasion of my Sis’ Birthday and our first blog entry I decided to buy the Cupcake Decorating Kit by Wilton. So fun!!!! I definitely need to practice, but I highly recommend getting one of these, easy to use and great instructions!