Chai Cupcakes

As usual, I made cupcakes. This time the special occasion wasn't just "It's Tuesday!!!" It was Ariel's birthday. I decided to make chai flavored cupcakes with a cinnamon buttercream frosting. I also found some great star-shaped cupcake tins while at the Smash Can Store with Molly. I thought that this would be a perfect combo for celebrating Paco's birthday. After looking at recipes online, I decided to make my own up, using ideas from recipes and a yellow cake as a base. So here goes:

3 eggs
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup milk
2 black tea bags
2 chai tea bags
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
ground cloves
nutmeg
allspice

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the eggs in a bowl of warm water to warm them. Heat up the milk on the stove and add the tea bags. Let the milk and tea soak at least 10 minutes, and then remove the tea bags.
2. Get out your big, new, fancy red Kitchen-Aide mixer (paco). Cream the butter and sugar until it is a pastel yellow. Add the eggs, one at a time.
3. Sift all of the dry ingredients onto a piece of wax paper. The spices are all an approximation. Add more/less to your own personal taste.
4. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately to the mixer, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until combined. Do not over mix.
5. Pour the batter into the cupcake thingies and bake for about 18 minutes.
6. Enjoy amazing cupcakes.

Aleta, can you post a birthday picture?