Chai Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Icing

I love chai. Even if my boyfriend describes as tasting like a "Christmas ornament."  Iced vanilla chai is the most delicious thing on the planet. Seriously.  I'm currently in a cupcake mood and I figured why not combine 2 of my favorite things. Chai and butter cream!  Here's how it goes...

Cupcakes
1 cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
6 chai tea bags
1/3 oil (I used canola, because I had 1/3 cup left and I wanted it out of my cabinet.)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (expensive! sorry.)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Heat milk in pan. DO NOT BOIL. If you scald the milk, it will taste terrible and ruin everything for the rest of your life. Once heated, add chai tea bags, remove from heat and let sit. Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together. Put sugar, vanilla, oil in a large bowl. After milk has set for 10 minutes, remove tea bags, and add cold milk to warm milk until you have 1 cup.  Add vinegar to milk, whisk, then let set for a few minutes.  Add milk to wet ingredients and whisk. Add dry ingredients and stir until you only have small lumps left.  Spoon batter into cupcake liners. Bake 15-20 minutes. Set on cooling rack.

Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Icing

2 cups Crisco
2 lb bag powdered sugar (no, really, 2 lbs)
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp Meringue Powder (JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby)
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp Butryvan flavoring (order online? If you have trouble finding this, butter and vanilla extract will work)
3 pinches of salt
1 vanilla bean

Start with Crisco and 1 cup powdered sugar in your beautiful orange Kitchenaid mixer.  Or whatever you have. Mix. Add egg whites and Meringue Powder.  Mix for a few minutes. Add milk.  Mix. Add more powdered sugar, flavoring, and salt, and vanilla bean powder.  Keep adding powdered sugar. Add milk if it gets too thick, but it will take the whole bag of powdered sugar to get it sweet enough.

This might be my new favorite! Enjoy!