Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

 
Anybody who knows me knows that I have a soft spot for cupcakes and soy chai lattes, so combining these two creates my own piece of heaven. These cupcakes are moist, tender, and lightly spicy, thanks to the combination of ginger and cardamom. Go ahead and pair with a steaming hot chai latte . . . you won’t overdo it.

Makes: 18 cupcakes 

1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
½ cup Earth Balance, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
½ cup vanilla soy yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1.     Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the Earth Balance and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the yogurt and vanilla extract and mix on low until combined. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the almond milk mixture to the creamed butter, mixing on low speed until everything is mixed together.

2.     Pour the batter into the cupcake liners until each liner is about two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.