Yield: 6 chai dulce de leche cupcakes // Total Time: 1 hr. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //
Chai cupcakes filled with dulce de leche and topped with a chai dulce de leche buttercream.
chai cupcakes with dulce de leche filling
Hello hello! It’s been a while since I’ve added cupcakes to the blog so I’m back with some *super* delicious ones. It all starts with a super light and fluffy brown sugar vanilla cupcake. We’ll swirl a chai brown sugar mixture into the cupcakes, and then bake them. After baking, we’ll make a hole in the center of the cupcakes and fill them with a generous amount of dulce de leche. To top it all off is a two-toned chai dulce de leche buttercream.
small batch chai cupcakes
I love making small batch bakes because they are the perfect size myself and others who don’t have a lot of people to bake for in their home. This recipe is a small batch and yields just 6 cupcakes. If that’s not your style and you need some more then no worries at all! Simply double or triple the recipe as you need. I do highly recommend using grams if you are scaling up for the best results.
recipe tips
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
mix the batter carefully
It is super important to not overmix the cupcake batter. Overmixing the batter leads to more gluten development which will make the cupcakes super tough and chewy. Only mix just until the last bit of flour is incorporated.
room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the egg, butter, and buttermilk at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. Here’s how to get room temperature ingredients FAST if you’re in a time crunch or forgot to take the ingredients out (like I often do):
- Egg: place the egg in a bowl and run hot water over it for 1 continuous minute, or let it sit in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Butter: slice the butter into 1 tbsp. slices and place them flat on a plate. Microwave in 5-second intervals until the butter is soft to the touch, but not melting.
- Buttermilk: microwave in 5-second intervals until it is no longer cold, but is not warm (room temp!)
keep an eye on those cupcakes!
Cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. Start checking at 15 minutes with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out wet, check them again in 2 minutes and so on until only a few moist crumbs stick to the toothpick.
ingredients and substitutions
For the chai cupcakes:
All purpose flour: gives the cupcakes their structure.
Baking powder: for helping the cupcakes rise.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding that nice buttery flavor to them. You can substitute salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cupcakes. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
Light brown sugar: for adding sweetness, flavor, and moisture. We’ll also use some for the chai swirl in the cupcakes.
Egg: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.
Vanilla: for flavor.
Buttermilk: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding moisture. I recommend using full fat buttermilk for the best texture. I highly recommend using buttermilk but I know it can be hard or annoying to purchase, especially if you don’t plan on using it for anything else. It won’t be completely the same, but you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute. For this recipe, simply combine 35g sour cream with 55g whole milk.
Chai spice: for flavor! Feel free to buy a pre-made blend or use a blend of your favorite chai spices.
For the chai buttercream and dulce de leche filling:
Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream. Feel free to use salted butter here as well.
Powdered sugar: sweetens and thickens up the buttercream. If you are looking for more of a melt-in-your-mouth texture, use organic powdered sugar!
Vanilla extract: for flavor.
Heavy cream: helps to thin out the buttercream a little bit so that it’s pipeable. You can use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk here as well.
Chai spice: for flavor! Feel free to buy a pre-made blend or use a blend of your favorite chai spices.
Dulce de leche: you’ll need some for filling the cupcakes, and some for the buttercream. I used and recommend the squeezable dulce de leche rather than the canned for ease of filling.
how to make chai dulce de leche cupcakes:
Here’s a basic rundown on how to make these chai cupcakes. You can find the complete recipe (which is printable!) at the end of this blog post.
chai dulce de leche cupcakes q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course! Obviously they will not be small batch anymore but small batch isn’t always what we need! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe to make 12 delicious cupcakes. I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Definitely! I would recommend making the cupcakes no more than two days ahead of time. Store the unfrosted cupcakes and unfilled cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. I’d recommend waiting to make the buttercream and filling the cupcakes until the day you want to serve them.
how to store the cupcakes
Once the cupcakes are filled with dulce de leche, they should be out for no more than 2-4 hours (depending on if it’s super hot) before being refrigerated.
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale
a note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and aren’t always at the temperature they claim to be. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
did you make these chai dulce de leche cupcakes?
If you made these chai cupcakes with chai dulce de leche buttercream I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Chai Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Chai Cupcakes
- 90 g light brown sugar (scant ½ c.)
- 100 g all purpose flour (¾ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 41 g unsalted butter room temperature, cubed (3 tbsp.)
- 32 g vegetable oil (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 90 g buttermilk* room temperature (3 oz.)
Chai Swirl / Filling
- 3 tbsp. light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. chai spice
- 120 g dulce de leche
Chai Dulce de Leche Buttercream
- 156 g unsalted butter room temperature (11 tbsp.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 250 g powdered sugar (2 c.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. heavy cream or milk
- 40 g dulce de leche
- 1 tsp. chai spice
Instructions
Brown Sugar Chai Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin tin with 6 parchment liners.
- Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cubed butter to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no large lumps remain.
- Add the buttermilk, oil, egg white and vanilla to the flour mixture. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
Chai Swirl
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and chai spice.
- Place about 2 tbsp. of cupcake batter into each liner, then top each cupcake with 1 tsp. of the chai brown sugar.
- Distribute the remaining batter evenly between the liners, then top each cupcake with the remaining chai brown sugar. Use a knife to gently swirl the chai brown sugar into the cupcakes.
- Bake for 15-18 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Chai Dulce de Leche Buttercream
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the butter with the salt for 1 minute to remove any lumps.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until all of it has been used.
- To make a two-toned buttercream**: split the buttercream in half into two bowls. To one bowl, beat in the vanilla and heavy cream. To the other bowl, beat in the dulce de leche and chai spice.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, use a spoon or a piping tip to carve a hole out in the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with 1 tbsp. of dulce de leche.
- Place each buttercream color into it's own piping bag, and snip off a hole in the top. Then, place those two bags into another piping bag that's fitted with your piping tip of choice.
- Generously frost each cupcake, then garnish with more dulce de leche if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Leave a Reply