The recipe is based on a simple cupcake recipe used by Nigella Lawson in her book Nigella Bites. I have tried and tried and tested this recipe many times, and each time my variations come up a treat. This really is the perfect cupcake recipe as it produces the correct fluffy texture as well as the all important cupcake crumb factor. I had to think hard about the frosting component, as I wanted to go beyond the buttercream frosting I have used other times. As I was making breakfast on Friday morning I started to list items which paired well with tea, and would also compliment the spices used in chai flavourings. The answer was staring me in the face; with a pot of honey sitting next to the box of Supreme Chai Masala. Honey frosting it will be. A quick search online came up with a Creamy Honey Frosting, and with a few additions with ground cinnamon and nutmeg the Honey Spiced Frosting would be a perfect pairing with the Chai cupakes. And what is even better is that you can have your cake and tea at the same time.

Chai Cupcakes with Honey Spiced Frosting

Making the Chai Cupcakes

• 140 g of self raising flour (sifted)
• 130g caster sugar
• 130g unsalted butter (diced at room temperature)
• 1 heaped teaspoon of Chai Masala (mixture)*
• Darjeeling Tea leaves (brewed to make 2 tablespoon of tea)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Mix the brewed Darjeeling tea and chai masala Cream the butter until light and soft, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, and continue beating until smooth.

Sift flour and spices into the butter mixture. Fold until combined well. Add vanilla extract and gradually pour in Chai tea until you habe a smooth batter

Add heaped tablespoon of mixture into cupcake liners (sitting in muffin mould tray) and bake for 10 - 15 minutes in a 220°C.

Cupcakes should spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool before applying the frosting.

*Chai masala can be purchased at Indian Spice Shops

Making the Honey Spiced Frosting

• 125g unsalted butter (diced at room temperature)
• 125g cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 3 tablespoon of 100% honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and cinnamon mix
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Beat butter until creamy and smooth, followed by the cream cheese. Continue beating until well combined.

Gradually add the honey, and continue beating, followed by spices and vanilla extract.

If lumps begin to form, beat until well combined and strain mixture. Allow to sit in refrigerator for 20 minutes before applying to cupcakes.

After frosting the cupcakes, sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Enjoy with a cup of strong tea!

Coulis, refers to a strained sauce, which uses a base of fruit purée or sauce. It is a perfect pairing to either lighten a rich dish or add a elegant kick to a simple ingredient such as baked goats cheese. Enter the raspberry factor, and you have a sublime meeting which still speaks of sweetness but also tang.
strong>Chocolate on Chocolate Tart
Tart Crust
150 g flour
25 g unsweetened cocoa powder
90 g butter (at room temperature)
90g sugar
1 -2 teaspoon of milk

Chocolate Ganache
100 ml whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
150 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
2 egg yolks
40 g butter

Making the tart crust
Begin this stage by sifting the dry ingredients; flour, cocoa and sugar into a large mixing bowl. After cutting the butter into small pieces add the butter to the dry ingredients and combine with your finger tips, until all butter is added. Mix until you get a coarse mixture which resembles sand. Chocolate sand!

The mixture should be dry, so add a splash (approx 1 - 2 teaspoon of milk) and continue to mix gently with your finger tips. Have a tart pan prepared. It is best to use one with a removable base, and if you prefer, have it slightly greased. Add the coarse mixture and spread across tart pan evenly using the base of your hand or your finger tips.

If you have a food processor, you can forego the finger tip mixing and just whizz it all up. However there is something nice about getting your fingers ‘dirty’ with chocolate no?

This tart crust requires blind baking, so to prevent the crust from browning lay a piece of parchment paper(cut to size) on top. And to prevent the crust from rising, use baking weights, dry beans or uncooked rice on top of the paper. Bake at 220°C, for 15-20 minutes, depending on the strength of your oven. I have a gas oven, and the 15 minute mark was my cue to remove the tart shell from the oven. You will need to check at this point, however rely on the 15 - 20 minute timeframe and the ‘baking gods’to see you through this stage.

Once out of the over, allow to cool until you remove the parchment paper.

Bask in the aroma of freshly baked pastry

Making the chocolate ganache
If you like chocolate, you will enjoy the second last step of making the Chocolate on Chocolate Tart because the chocolate-y aroma is absolutely divine.

It is best to have all your ingredients ‘preped’ beforehand. This means breaking up the dark chocolate into small pieces into a medium sized stainless steel bowl, diceing the butter up, measuring the cream and seperating the egg yolks

Using a small saucepan, gently heat the whipping cream until small bubbles form. Make sure that it doesn’t over bubble as this will create splitting further on in the ganache making process. Add the vanilla extract at this stage to infuse with the cream. Remove from stove and pour over the pieces of chocolate.

Using a fork, stir vigorously until the chocolate has melted. Does it look velvety yet?

Add the yolk, one by one and combine gently. Followed by the butter, gradually. Continue to mix with fork until it is velvety smooth, and no lumps are visible. Has the creamy chocolate ganache seduced you?

Assembling the Chocolate on Chocolate Tart
The crust should have completely cooled by this final stage. Simply pour the chocolate ganache into the tart shell and spread evenly. Allow a couple of hours in the fridge for the ganache to set. Serve with cream, a fruit compote or raspberry coulis.

Note: Even though the final stage requires refrigeration, you should take the tart out 10 minutes before serving. Raspberry Coulis

Fresh (300g) or frozen (350g) raspberries
Juice of 1 small lemon
1–2 tablespoon of icing sugar, plus extra to taste

Making the raspberry
In a small saucepan, placee the raspberries and lemon juice until lightly heated. At the same time use a fork to gently mash the raspberries and juice. Add the icing sugar by sifting it into the pan. You may need to alternatively remove the saucepan from the stove in order to maintain a gentle simmer. By this stage the sugar should be disolved.

Once the raspberry mixture is heated, remove from stove. Pour through a seive bit by bit, gently pushing through with a flexible spatula. It is unlikely the seeds will go through the sieve, so the result should be deep red in colour and smooth in texture.

After all of the mixture has been strained, taste for sweetness and tang. The coulis should be quite tart, however, add more sugar and stir briskly until it reaches the desired state. The coulis can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in a sealed container.

As you can see from the images above, I was unable to capture a shot of the tart and coulis together as I was busy taking care of the dessert course of the family dinner. From the looks of my family it seems the tart and raspberry and coulis were a big hit. And it was all worth the effort when my younger cousin, Cara came back for seconds. A girl after my own heart.