Desi Chai Cupcakes and Shark Tank !

Rack your brains as much as you want but chances are extremely slim to none that you will find a connection between chai cupcakes and shark tank or even chai and sharks alone for that matter. The above statement will hold true before reading the blog post of course. Once, you have acquainted yourself with the text that  follows, the mystery will be  solved or in simpler terms , you might see the connection that prompted me to name the title so . You see, I long to keep interesting titles for my blog posts and when this unusual one came along in my brain , I simply couldn't ignore it . The thought that it may pique the reader's interest and this generate more curiosity for the blog post also prompted my naming it such. The mention of a genial beverage based cupcakes with a gritty business reality show is enough to raise eyebrows but here is the story behind it .

You see, tomorrow is the last day of school for my 4th grader. But instead of watching  movies or playing games as is the norm during the days leading to the summer vacation , their class is holding a "Shark Tank" type  business show where you the students will be pitching their products to the teachers and hoping to secure a loan.Daughter dearest and her friend's business is a "cupcakery" (no surprises there ).As such, the product they will be presenting to the sharks for approval has be to delicious, out of this world cupcakes. That is where the chai parts come. Everyone appreciates the advantage of a unique product in business , hence ditching the chocolate route , decided to got for the desi chai route for some exotic scoring.

The chai scene has really exploded internationally . The word itself has gained widespread popularity with hardly a soul unaware of it's meaning. It had become the new exotic beverage of choice and all major coffee shops proudly display in on their daily offerings board. As it happens with any new edible product that catches people's fancy, this one got multiple makeovers too . From cookies to shortbread and even to sandwiches , it had been fully embraced by the baking community . Yours truly was no exception and chai cake has found it's way into this blog post . But with these cupcakes, I have tried things a little differently . Gone is the condensed  milk and the addition is the chai frosting . So, without further ado, here is the recipe for the same.

Ingredients-

Chai milk Infusion

6 oz whole milk

2-3 cardamom pods

2-3 cloves

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tablespoon heaped tea leaves

Cupcakes-

1 stick butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup self rising flour  (Recipe for self rising flour-1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder,1/4 tsp                                         salt)

3 eggs

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tbsp chai milk infusion

Frosting 

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

4 tbsp chai milk infusion

Method-

Pre Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.

In a saucepan over medium heat , take the whole milk and to it add cardamoms,cloves and the  fennel seeds.

Now add the tea leaves, stir and wait for the mixture to boil .

Once it starts boiling , remove  from flame, cover it with a lid and let it steep for 5 minutes.

Then, sieve it into another container and let it cool.

In a bowl , take the unsalted butter and sieve over it all the dry ingredients like flour,soda,sugar and cinnamon powder.

Next, comes the eggs and whisk it all for about 1 minute.

Time to add the chai tea infusion and whisk it for another 1 minute.

Pour the batter into the cupcakes liners  and bake for about 20-25 minutes

Remove from oven and let cool .

For the frosting , whisk the butter for about 5 minutes till it is really pale.

Now add the icing sugar in stages while continuing to beat.

When the sugar is mixed in , add 4 tbsp of  chai infusion for the flavor.

Mix it well and pour the icing into a piping bag and decorate the top of the cupcakes.