Chai Tea Mini Cupcakes

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book that I have been meaning to try for a while. Since they make so many, I never really had the right occasion for them until this past week, when I brought them into the office to share with my co-workers. They were tasty but I didn't necessarily associate their flavor with chai tea. But an interesting twist on traditional cupcakes, for sure.

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup milk
2 bags black tea
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 heaping tsp garam masala
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 packed dark brown sugar
2 large egss, room temp

Preheat oven to 350. Line mini muffin tins with paper liners (I used 1 mini muffin tin, and 6 regular-sized muffins). Bring milk to simmer over medium heat, add tea bags and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove bags, squeezing over pan, and discard. Cool milk completely. Whisk together both flours, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of tea-infused milk. Beat just until combined.

Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops spring back when lightly touched and are pale golden in color, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely un wire racks before dipping the top of each cupcake in the icing.

Condensed Milk Icing: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
Pinch of coarse salt
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar 

Whisk together butter, condensed milk, and salt until smooth, whisk in confectioner's sugar 1/4 cup at a time until combined. Use immediately. I colored my icing with 6 drops of red food coloring, aiming for a light pink color but got more of a Pepto pink instead. Should have only used half that amount!