chai-tea mini cupcakes {msc}

I LOVE Chai Tea (thank you, Starbucks and Tazo, for introducing us!) 

The combination of spices — cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves—are enticing and appealing. (Oh, I can smell it right now, and I might have to stop by after my workout later on.)

I just have never been a huge fan of tea IN my sweets. Earl grey madeleines? I'll take the plain, please. Tea-infused chocolates? Mmm, got any with, um, coffee? Or champagne?

So, I was on the fence with this Martha Stewart baking assignment, until the last-minute need for some baked goods at our music club meeting... what better opportunity, right? 

The end result:
     taste- subtle, non-overpowering combination of spices, faint flavor of tea
     texture- bready
     appearance- ran out of time for the milk glaze- the powdered sugar sprinkling helped, but...

If I were to bake these again, I would try to figure out how to get a lighter, less doughy texture to the cupcake. And I would definitely dress it up with the frosting.

If you're interested in the recipe, please check out Rachel's blog, Simple Girl. You should check out some of her photo posts there too, they're simply beautiful.