Chai Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache (Vegan)
These simple-to-make cupcakes feature a soft, tender crumb infused with warm spices and are crowned with a rich, dark chocolate whipped ganache. A delightful, dairy- and egg-free dessert that’s bound to impress.
These cupcakes feature a rich whipped ganache made from dark chocolate, paired with a soft, moist crumb infused with cozy chai spices. The blend of slightly bitter chocolate and sweet, spiced cake creates a delicious balance of bitter and sweet. Simple to make and completely dairy- and egg-free, they’re perfect for a gathering or indulging yourself.
What you will need:
These cupcakes feature the comforting flavors of chai spices and a whipped chocolate ganache. A blend of warm fall spices and rich dark chocolate are essential for this recipe. All ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store.
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves
- cane sugar – Zulka Pure Cane Sugar
- plant based butter with salt – Earth Balance Stick Butter
- oil – I used light olive oil
- plant based yogurt – Silk Vanilla Almond Milk Yogurt
- plant based milk – Oat Planet Extra Creamy Oat Milk
- vanilla extract
- apple cider vinegar
- dark chocolate – Lindt Excellence 70% Bar
- plant based heavy cream – Country Crock Plant Cream Heavy Whipping Cream
How to:
Start by making the ganache, and while it cools to room temperature, you can prepare and bake the cupcakes.
To make the ganache, gather your ingredients: chocolate bars, heavy cream, room temperature butter, and vanilla extract. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches a light simmer. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until the mixture is smooth and fully combined. Add the butter and vanilla extract, stirring until everything is well incorporated. Set the bowl aside to let the ganache cool to room temperature.
To keep the ganache smooth and free of lumps, stir it regularly as it cools. You want the ganache to cool and thicken to a pudding-like consistency. To speed up the process, once it reaches room temperature, place it in the refrigerator. Stir it every 5 to 10 minutes to maintain its smooth texture and remove it from the fridge once it thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
Place the thickened ganache into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment. Whip the ganache at medium-high to high speed for 5 minutes. Transfer the whipped ganache to a piping bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice.
As the ganache cools, start preparing the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 16 cups in two cupcake trays with paper liners.
In a small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. Whisk them together and set the bowl aside. In a large measuring cup, combine the milk, yogurt, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk well and set the bowl aside.
Combine the butter, oil, and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a handheld mixer to blend everything together on medium-high speed for about a minute until well mixed. Add half of the wet ingredients to the sugar mixture and blend on medium speed for 15 seconds. Then, mix in half of the dry ingredients at medium speed for another 15 seconds. Add the remaining wet ingredients and blend for 15 seconds, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients. Blend for 15 to 30 seconds more, or until no visible flour remains.
Fill the 16 lined cups evenly with the batter. Bake the cupcakes for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Once they’ve reached room temperature, top them with whipped ganache, piping an equal amount onto each cupcake. Keep the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make bake and enjoy!
Chai Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache (Vegan)
Ingredients
Chai Cupcakes
- 270 grams / 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
- 1½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 200 grams / 1 cup cane sugar
- 56 grams / 4 tbsp plant based butter with salt – room temperature
- 60 grams / 4 tbsp oil – I used light olive oil
- 180 ml / ¾ cup plant based milk – room temperature
- 120 grams / ½ cup plant based yogurt – room temperature
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Whipped Ganache
- 400 grams dark chocolate – broken into pieces
- 400 ml plant based heavy cream
- 28 grams / 2 tbsp plant based butter with salt – room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Whipped Ganache
- Break the chocolate up into pieces and place them in a medium bowl.
- Pour the cream into a small pot and heat it over medium heat until it reaches a gentle simmer. Remove it from the heat as soon as it starts bubbling. Stay nearby and stir frequently while the cream is warming.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Add the butter and vanilla extract and stir until everything is fully incorporated.
- Set the bowl aside until the ganache cools to room temperature, stirring occasionally to keep it smooth. This process took about an hour and a half. Once the ganache reached room temperature, I put it in the refrigerator to speed up the thickening, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes. When it reached a pudding-like consistency, I removed it from the refrigerator.
- Transfer the thickened ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment. Whip the ganache on medium-high to high speed for 5 minutes. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice and pipe equal amounts of ganache over the tops of each cupcake.
Chai Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare two cupcake pans by placing liners in 16 cups.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk everything together and set the bowl aside.
- In a large measuring cup, combine the milk, yogurt, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk everything together, then set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the butter, oil, and sugar. Using a handheld mixer, blend them together on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined, about 1 minute.
- Mix half of the wet ingredients into the sugar mixture and blend on medium speed for about 15 seconds. Then, add half of the dry ingredients and blend again on medium speed for another 15 seconds. Next, pour in the remaining wet ingredients and blend for 15 seconds. Finally, add the rest of the dry ingredients and blend for 15 to 30 seconds, or until the flour is fully incorporated.
- Evenly distribute the batter into 16 lined cupcake cups. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to rest in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled to room temperature, pipe the whipped ganache on top.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.
