Dairy Free Chai Spice Cupcakes have a sweet and spicy flavour reminiscent of a creamy chai latte. They contain the same warming spices as chai tea making them the perfect cold weather treat.

Weirdly enough, I’m not the biggest fan of chai tea by itself (gasp! I know I’m such a tea lover), but, I love the flavour of chai spices in my baking. I make my chai spice cupcakes with spelt flour because I love the nuttiness and I find it easier to digest than regular flour. I use coconut oil in place of butter and use nut milk to make these chai spice cupcakes dairy-free. The vanilla chai icing is a real treat made with creamy cashews and sweetened with maple syrup.

Why I like coconut sugar

Chai Spice Cupcakes are sweetened with coconut sugar. I use coconut sugar over cane sugar because it has a lower glycemic index. The glycemic index is a number that ranges from 0-100 that tells you how different foods affect your blood sugar and insulin production. The lower the glycemic index, the less a food spikes blood sugar and insulin levels.

Coconut sugar has a glycemic index of 35 which is pretty low for a sweetener considering regular table sugar has a glycemic index of 65.

Coconut sugar is made from the sap and nectar of coconut palm trees.

It is super easy to use in your baking because it can be substituted one-for-one with regular sugar or cane sugar. It is most similar to brown sugar so it will add a slight caramel-like flavour to your baking.

Looking for more Diary Free desserts? Check out my cookbook!

My cookbook Healthy Dairy Free Desserts contains over 30 holistically delicious dessert recipes (with stunning images) that you can enjoy guilt-free! It is available in both softcover and digital.

All of the unique recipes are nutritionist approved, made with whole food ingredients and do not contain any soy, dairy, white flour or processed sugar.

Healthy Dairy Free Desserts also contains a guide to healthy baking substitutes and alternative sugars, so you can learn how to turn your family favourites into healthy desserts.

Dairy Free Chai Spice Cupcakes

(dairy-free, no soy)

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20-25 minutes | Serving size: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups spelt flour
• 1½ cup coconut sugar
• 3 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ cup softened coconut oil
• 1 cup nut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 large eggs

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with extra-large baking cups.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together with a spoon
3. Add wet ingredients and beat on high until mixed.
4. Pour into baking cups until no more than ¾ full. Cook for 20 minutes or until the tooth pick comes out clean.
5. Let cool for 30 min and ice with the vanilla chai icing below.

Vanilla Chai Icing

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of raw cashews
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Soak cashews for 1 hour to over night covered in the fridge. Drain and rinse before using.
2. Place all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth.