Vegan Gluten-free Chai Latte Cupcakes

It's Saturday, which means that while I should be cleaning my house and/or enjoy the absolutely gorgeous weather, I am baking (and hence messing up my kitchen instead of cleaning it). Because that's what I tend to do in my weekend.

This week I am making Vegan Gluten-free Chai Latte Cupcakes. Fear not; I will actually enjoy the sunshine later today with some friends. I hope these little babies will make them as happy as me.

Ingredients
For the cupcakes
• 1 1/2 cups flour (1 buckwheat, 1/2 almond)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3 eggs’ replacement
• 1/4 cup apple sauce (but my mango peach jam worked just fine too!)
• 1 cup soy milk
• 4 chai tea bags

For the frosting
• 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
For the cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the milk until it just simmers. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and allow the chai milk to cool to room temperature.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the margarine and sugar together. Add the egg replacement, one "egg" at a time, beating until combined. Scrape the bowl, then add the apple sauce/jam and mix until just incorporated.
5. Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over batter and mix until just combined. Add 1/2 of the chai milk mixture, mixing on low until combined. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, and beat until just mixed. Scrape the bowl, then add the remaining milk and mix until combined. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until the batter is thoroughly combined, but do not over mix.
6. Fill each cupcake liner with 2 tablespoons of batter and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting
1. In a medium bowl, cream the margarine until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar and cream together. Once combined, beat in another cup of sugar, then mix in the vanilla. Add the cinnamon and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. If your frosting is too stiff or dry, beat in up to 2 tablespoons of soy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Enjoy!