Vanilla Chai Clouds

After spending a week at home, which was well deserved after such hectic exam schedules and THON exhaustion - I finally got some time to myself. This obviously meant cooking and baking periodically even though I've been on this new health kick (ha). I found this recipe in a magazine sitting in my kitchen and thought it was such a classic idea to combine such warm and earthy flavors into a light airy cupcake.
I knew these cupcakes would be a success in my household considering how much chai (tea) my parents actually drink on the daily.
There are 2 separate bowls you'd have to make for this cake - the chai mix and the batter. The mix is what goes into the batter as well as into the icing, if you're making a vanilla icing (I chose not too just because I know my family isn't the biggest fan)
The actual chai mix is as follows:
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

The cake mix is as follows:
For the cake:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs (not required)
1/2 quantity chai spice mix (recipe above)
 1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk at ROOM TEMP)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the Vanilla Chai Buttercream:
2 stick (1 cup) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 quantity chai spice mix
1-2 tablespoons cold milk, if needed

Preheat your oven to approximately 325 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine all of the chai ingredients, mix it up with a spoon so its well formed.  In a fairly larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for a few minutes, add the vanilla and your kitchen is going to start smelling so sweet, you're going to want to eat the air. Add half the quantity of your spice mix (this will be about 2 teaspoons) and stir until well combined. Add in the flour and buttermilk (or regular milk) alternately (starting and ending with flour). In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and vinegar. It will bubble up and form a paste, then add it to the batter. Stir until just combined, then spoon into prepared cupcake pan until 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy. This will take a few minutes! While the mixer is on low, add the vanilla and remaining spice mix (about 2 teaspoons). Carefully add in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until you reach the desired sweetness and texture. If you think that the icing is too thick to be a proper icing, add some COLD milk and slowly mix together again to get rid of any air. 
Since I did not make icing, I added a regular store bought vanilla icing to the tops of my cupcakes just for a little more sweetness! hope you like them!