Have you ever wanted a dirty chai latte in cupcake form? No, just me? Well let me convince you why you should! If you didn't know, dirty chai just means chai mixed with espresso. These dirty chai cupcakes have a chai spiced brown butter cupcake base with an entire shot of brewed espresso. Then they're topped with brown butter chai spice buttercream frosting. All the warming spices make them the perfect fall cupcakes!
how to make brown butter
Brown butter is my absolute favorite ingredient for taking baked goods to the next level! The toasty, nutty flavor pairs beautifully with the mix of chai spices in these cupcakes!
Both the cupcakes and buttercream call for brown butter, so I find it easier to just make 2 separate batches. But you can also make it all together and weigh out the difference if you have a food scale* (½ cup of butter weighs about 110 grams). So you’ll need 110 grams for the cake and 220 grams for the buttercream.
I recommend making the brown butter the night before you plan to bake the cupcakes so that it has time to fully cool back to room temperature. You can leave it in an airtight container overnight at room temperature (these Pyrex bowls* are my favorite for storing brown butter).
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma.
- Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly).
- Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning.
- For the cake, let the butter cool slightly (5-10 minutes) before using.
- For the buttercream, it needs to cool completely to room temperature so that it’s solid but pliable.
homemade chai spice mix
Homemade chai spice is super easy and your probably already have all of the ingredients in your spice cabinet! This recipe makes enough spice mix for both the cupcakes and the buttercream and you'll have a tiny bit leftover that you can use as a garnish or to brew some homemade chai!
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
The best part of making your own spice mixes is that you have complete control! Don't like cloves? Just leave them out or reduce the amount! Love ginger? Add a little extra!
cupcake decorating tips
- Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!!
- For these big beautiful frosting swirls I use the 9FT tip from this decorating kit*. The tips are much larger than standard sizes and so fun for decorating cupcakes!
- Sprinkle a little bit of the extra chai spice blend on top for extra flavor and texture!
- I topped these with some pretty star anise, but you can decorate however you like!
recipe notes
For the brewed espresso: I have a Nespresso machine* that I LOVE and one pod equals about ¼ cup (1 shot) of espresso so it works perfectly for this recipe. If you don't have brewed espresso, you can replace it with ¼ cup of brewed coffee or ¼ cup whole milk (so there will be ½ cup total) plus 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder*.
More Brown Butter Recipes you might like!
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Brown Butter Dirty Chai Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Chai Spice Mix
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, browned
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon chai spice mix
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup brewed espresso, about 1 shot
- ¼ cup whole milk
Chai Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, browned
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons chai spice mix
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- I highly recommend making the brown butter for the buttercream the night before so that it has plenty of time to fully cool!
Cupcakes
- Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the chai spice mix and set aside.
- Whisk the cake flour, almond flour, 1 tablespoon of chai spice mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted brown butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined.
- Stir in about half of the flour mixture then stir in the brewed espresso. Next add in the remaining flour mixture and the whole milk and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
- Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Brown Butter Buttercream
- Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let cool completely to room temperature. The brown butter should be solid but still pliable.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until fully combined and smooth.
- Add in the 2 teaspoons of chai spice mix and vanilla extract and mix until creamy.
- Add in milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Frost cooled cupcakes. I used an open star piping tip for these photos.
- Top with a sprinkle of the chai spice mix and enjoy!
Laura says
Hi! These look amazing and I'm really excited to try out this recipe! I'm planning on making it into a cake for my friend's birthday, instead of cupcakes (we'll be doing cupcakes for another party of hers). Are there any tweaks or suggestions you have for making it into cake rather than cupcakes?
K Rai says
These turned out so well! The buttercream held its shape perfectly which is something I always look for in a recipe. Absolutely love the spice blend too. I will certainly be making these again!
Mohini says
Hi! These look amazing!! Would like to substitute the eggs so that it’s eggless.. any suggestions?
Kyleigh Sage says
Hi! Unfortunately I haven’t tested it without eggs so I’m not sure. I know that mashed banana or applesauce are common substitutions for eggs, but they would definitely change the flavor. I’m sorry!
Katie says
These taste just like a chai latte! So good!