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.
I highly recommend making the brown butter for the buttercream the night before so that it has plenty of time to fully cool!
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup cupcake 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, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the melted brown butter, sugar, brown 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 mix until fully combined.
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.
Chai Buttercream
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
Add in the 2 teaspoons of chai spice mix and vanilla extract and mix until creamy.
Add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Then beat the frosting on high speed for 4-5 minutes until super light and fluffy.
Frost cooled cupcakes. I used an open star piping tip for these photos.
Top with a sprinkle of the chai spice mix and enjoy!
These cupcakes will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, they taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Notes
To make brown butter, melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch closely for the butter to develop brown specs and a nutty aroma. Once you start seeing brown specs, let cook for just a few seconds longer (watch very carefully or it will burn). Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl so that it doesn't continue to cook. Set aside and let cool for about 20 minutes in the fridge until soft and pliable. Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.