A warming vanilla chai spiced buttercream frosting. This icing is super simple, quick to make and tastes absolutely delicious.
The base of this uses my basic buttercream frosting recipe, with added chai spice mix. When making these I use a premade chai spice mix, which is a mix of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. This is quite readily available from supermarkets, but if you don’t have access to this then you can make your own simply by mixing the spices together. Alternatively, you can use the contents of a chai spice teabag. I normally use a teaspoon of mix, this creates quite a warming flavour, but feel free to add more or less, depending on your preference.
Start by creaming the unsalted butter until nice and smooth, this usually only takes a couple of minutes. Next, add the icing sugar in two batches along with the milk. I lightly stir the mixture with a spoon to prevent an icing sugar cloud, before mixing with the electric mixer. Next, add the vanilla extract and chai spice. When adding vanilla, I would always recommend using paste over extract. As extract is a liquid it can change the consistency of the icing and make it too runny, whereas paste helps to keep the texture the same.
You can’t overmix the icing so make sur that you give it a really good whisk to prevent it being grainy. This does create an icing that is thick enough to pipe. If choosing this, add to a piping bag with your desired nozzle and pipe on top of each cake. I have chosen to ‘smudge’ the icing on top. To do this, place a tablespoon of icing on each cake and using a palette knife or butter knife, ‘smear’ the icing on the cake.
I love adding this on top of my chai spiced cupcakes to make the perfect autumnal treat. These are quick to make, super simple not whip up and tastes absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 90 g / 3 oz Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 170 g / 6 oz Icing Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chai Spice Mix
Instructions
- Add the butter to a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, blend until creamy.
- Add half of the sieved icing sugar to the bowl and using a spoon, gently stir together until just combined (this helps to prevent an icing sugar explosion!), before mixing with the electric mixer.
- Add the remaining icing sugar and follow the steps above, do not be afraid to overmix, you want this to be nice and smooth.
- Add the vanilla paste and chai spice and blend until fully combined and the icing can hold it's own shape.
- Once the cakes are cooled, you can start to ice them. You can either pipe the icing on top of the cake, or place a tablespoon of icing on each cake and use a butter knife or palette knife to 'smear' the icing on each cake.
Notes
Any leftover buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
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