Chai is like a cup of Christmas on a rainy Autumn day. I've recently got into it in the form of tea but I know a lot of people love their Chai Lattes. The heavily oxidised black tea leaves are combined with spices like cardamom, ginger, black pepper, grounded cloves, cinnamon and fennel which give it that extra warmth - transporting you to a cosy winter evening.

I quite like Chai and I was interested to play around with the tea in something other than a liquid. I had a bit of a play around and adapted some recipes that I found online to make my very own Chai Tea and Fudge muffins. The thought didn't initially come from the Chai - I had bought some mini fudge chunks and wanted to find a way to incorporate them into a bake. I thought that this was the perfect time to experiment with Chai Tea and together, I think they taste quite nice.

As a disclaimer, if you don't like fudge, this recipe can be done without it. The fudge chunks are used in the decoration process.

Muffin Ingredients:

• 3 Chai tea bags
• 120ml milk
• 140g caster sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 1 1/2tsp baking powder
• 40g butter
• 1 egg
• A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 Celcius (gas mark 5) and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases
2. Put the Chai tea bags and milk in a saucepan overheat 
3. Mix the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt until it becomes that of a breadcrumb consistency
4. Whisk the egg separately by hand
5. Take the tea off the heat and remove the tea bags, squeeze out any excess liquid and put them aside for later
6. Add the milk mixture to the egg and mix lightly
7. Pour the tea mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth and thick
8. When ready, spoon the mixture into the cake cases until half full
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes (tip: the top of the cakes should bounce back if they are properly cooked)
10. Leave to cool
11. Make a start on the buttercream (see below)

Buttercream Ingredients:

• 25ml milk
• 3 already used Chai tea bags
• 250g icing sugar
• 80g butter
• Fudge pieces for decoration

Method:

1. Put the tea bags into a bowl with the milk and leave to infuse for about 10-20 minutes
2. Mix the icing sugar and butter until combined
3. Squeeze out as much milk out of the tea bags as possible and pour the tea-infused milk into the butter and icing sugar. Take your time doing this to ensure that you meet the right buttercream consistency
4. For added flavour, tear open a tea bag and sprinkle a generous amount of the spices into the buttercream - keep mixing and tasting as you add so that you can find your desired taste
5. Ice the cool cakes with the buttercream and add a sprinkle of fudge pieces onto the top

I absolutely love these muffins, they've got a sweet by an aromatic taste that I can safely say, feels like Autumn in a cake. I've tried these on a few people and I'm yet to find someone who doesn't like them. They're lovely with or without buttercream and fudge - simple or complex, your taste buds will trick you into thinking that you're all cosied up for Autumn/Winter, even if it's the height of summer!

Let me know if you try the recipe, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time...






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