This Chai Cake is a special treat for chai tea lovers. Packed with fragrant spices and paired with a simple cream cheese frosting.
Any chai tea lovers out there?? I’m actually not one of them (gasp!), but I do love a good spice cake, and that’s exactly what this is. But before we get into the details all of the deliciousness that is this Chai Cake, let me tell you about the adventure I had trying to decide how to decorate it. Ugh.
I was kind of at a loss for ideas. I was very uninspired, so I started looking at Fall food decorating ideas on Pinterest. Somewhere along the way, in the masses of pumpkins, and pears, and pecans, I stumbled across gooseberries. Now, there are no gooseberries IN the actual cake. They are purely decoration, and I think they do a pretty good job of that. But my quest to find them was not so easy.
I also decided that I wanted some white currants to go with the gooseberries on top of the cake. I had seen some at my local farmers market a few weeks ago, and crossed my fingers they were still there. They were not. Nor were the gooseberries. It wasn’t until my 5th stop (!!) that I actually found gooseberries. And it was in a store I never go into and hadn’t planned on going to, but there they were. Success! Partial, anyhow.
It was around store #7 that I gave up on finding the white currants. My backup plan, which I didn’t have until I gave up on the currants, was to pair the gooseberries with whole spices. None of which I had at home, of course. I hit up store #8 for the whole cardamom pods (since I knew they had them — I should have bought them the week before when I got the ground cardamom there) and loose leaf chai tea. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any other whole spices, so I had to go back to stores #2 and #5 to get them, UGH.
THREE hours later, I was finally home. I didn’t get everything I wanted, but it was good enough. I was most happy with finding whole star anise. It’s not actually in the cake either (lol), but it’s so pretty!! Omg is it aromatic though. Not a pleasant smell unless you like liquorice (which I don’t).
For those of you who are unfamiliar with chai tea, it’s a very aromatic and spicy tea originating from India. The ingredients vary slightly depending on where you get it (or how you make it), but it typically consists of a black tea with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black pepper, and the key ingredient, cardamom.
It’s cardamom that gives chai tea its unique flavour, and I think it’s a love/hate thing, like cilantro. It’s very strong, so you want to be careful not to use too much of it.
Since this is a spice cake, I chose to pair it with a cream cheese frosting, but you could use a vanilla frosting if you prefer. The flavour of this cake is delicious, and the texture is perfect. But if you don’t like chai, you probably won’t like the flavour of this cake, though I’m not a chai lover, and it still tastes delicious to me. You can always adjust the amount of cardamom in it too, or just leave it out altogether for a regular spice cake.
Tips for this Chai Cake:
- You can use regular milk if you’d prefer not to make the chai milk.
- Whole spices shown as garnish in the photos are star anise, cloves, allspice, and cardamom.
- If you don’t like chai, you can leave out the cardamom for a plain spice cake.
- If you like this chai cake, be sure to check out my Earl Grey Cake, Spice Cake, and Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Chai Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Chai Tea Milk:
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp Chai tea leaves 2 tea bags
Chai Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup Chai tea milk
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese full fat, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Assembly (optional):
- cape gooseberries
- whole allspice
- whole star anise
- whole cloves
- whole green cardamom pods
Instructions
Chai Tea Milk:
- Bring milk and tea to a boil in a small pot over med-high heat. Turn heat off and steep for 10mins. Strain and measure out 1 cup. Top up with milk if needed.
Chai Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, spices, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and Chai milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Bake for 35-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy (2 mins). Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add vanilla and beat until fluffy (3 mins).
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 2/3 cup of frosting and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers and apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Use the remaining frosting to frost the cake and do a rustic swirl on the sides and top with a large offset spatula if desired.
- Decorate top with whole spices and gooseberries if desired.
Susan says
This looks fabulous! Do you think it would take it too far in another direction to add a light smattering of toasted walnuts to the batter? I can see how a plain vanilla frosting would be delicious with it – do you think a maple SMBC might also pair well with this cake? (or too many flavors?) Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Susan! I think both the walnuts and maple SMBC would be delicious additions/changes. It really just depends on the flavours you like. The chai might stand out less, but I think the maple would compliment it well and the walnuts too. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Susan says
Thank you!
Sadiyya Badat says
If I were to add 1/4th or 1/2 a cup less flour to this recipe would it make the cake slightly less dense?
Olivia says
Hi Sadiyya! No, don’t reduce the flour. You can use cake flour if you prefer. My cakes tend to be more on the dense side rather than light and fluffy, but it shouldn’t be too dense. Overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added — it develops too much gluten.
Jessica says
Hi, I would like to use this recipe to make cupcakes. Do you have any recommendations for the cooking time and temperature?
Olivia says
Hi Jessica! The temperature should stay the same but start checking them at 15mins or so.
Jess says
Hey Liv,
Could I bake this in two tall 6” pans?
Wanting to make it a 4 layer 6” cake, so would slice the two. I’m thinking if you split the batter in two 6” rounds, as long as they’re tall tins, it’ll be fine right?
Thank you!
Jess xx
Olivia says
Hi Jess! Yes, that should be fine. Make sure they are at least 3″ tall. You’ll need to increase the baking time due to the extra batter in the pans.
Aurora says
Hello Olivia,
First of all thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! I have made quite a few of your recipes and they are perfect every single time. I have one question, I have been wanting to use a cream cheese icing for quite a long time now but I’m afraid that it’s going to be too soft for the type of decoration that I want. I has thinking of frosting this cake with sharp edges and doing a ganache dripping. Would this work? Is there any firm cream cheese frosting? I really like the texture of the Swiss meringue buttercream but it’s a bit too buttery for my liking, and this time wanted something a bit more tangy. Thanks a lot in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Aurora! Thank you so much for the sweet comment! CC frosting will be really hard to get sharp edges. I did a ganache drip over CC frosting here so you can see what it looks like: https://livforcake.com/eggnog-cake/ It’s a naked cake, but there is a layer of frosting on the top. You could always fill the cake with CC frosting and use an SMBC for the outside? I’ve never made a CC frosting that was firm enough to get sharp edges 🙁
Nayantara Govindrajan says
Excellent,very subtle but nice chai flavour !3
Olivia says
Hi Nayantara! So happy you liked it 🙂
Ashley says
I baked this cake, but I accidentally added all of the milk instead of just 1 cup… I’m a bit confused as to why the recipe has you make 1 1/2 cups of chai milk, but then you only use 1 cup. Going to add a swiss meringue buttercream. We’ll see how it tastes when it’s finished!
Olivia says
Hi Ashley! Heating the milk will cause some to evaporate which is why I suggest making more than needed. You could also use any excess to drizzle over the cake layers once baked to add more moisture/flavour.
Evelynmaria Arriaza says
Hi,
I’m hoping to make this cake soon, maybe for Thanksgiving. It’s looks so good and beautful. I had a question though. I only own Chai Tea Latte Powder. You mix it with hold or cold milk to make a sort of coffee. Would that be okay to use??
Thank You!
Olivia says
Hi Evelynmaria! I think that should be fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Livi says
I thought that those were tomatillos on top for some reason! Thank you for the highly cozy recipe! 🙂
Olivia says
Hah! They do look a bit similar 🙂 I hope you love this one!
Snuggly Bunny says
First, let me just say; this cake is delicious! I’d go as far as to say it’s bake off tent worthy! (Being from the UK that’s high praise!) I baked this cake using two 8″ cake pans. The cake came out dry and holey. I bake all the time and I’ve never had either happen before. Next time I’ll use vegetable oil in place of butter as that guarantees the cake will be oh so spongy. And check on it after 25 mins. I made a vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkled some chopped up crystalized ginger on top. Next time I’ll add the crystalized ginger to the frosting.
Olivia says
Hi Snuggly Bunny! That is such high praise, thank you!! I love Bake Off, but only the British versions. The others are lacking. So, thanks! 😀 The holes in cakes are either caused by overmixing the cake batter (develops too much gluten) or improperly dispersed raising agent (if it’s not whisked well with the flour, etc). Let me know how your second attempt turns out. Love the addition of the crystallized ginger!
Sarah says
I wanted to make a chai tea cake for a friend’s birthday and spent hours researching recipes. I made this one and a different recipe one and compared. This one was far better than the other one but I still didn’t care that much for it. It turned out well, it just tasted nothing like chai tea. This is essentially a spice cake, and my personal opinion is that no one would ever notice the difference if plain milk were used instead of chai tea milk. It was fine as far as spice cake goes, but I wanted to be able to taste tea, and I couldn’t. The spices were super strong and there was no chance that a subtle tea flavor could shine through. Guests enjoyed it more than I did, I think, but I got the sense that they would have enjoyed that cream cheese frosting on literally anything.
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! Cardamom is what gives Chai its distinct flavour. Did you use that in the cake as well as the chai milk? The milk alone definitely wouldn’t have had the flavour impact needed. Sorry it didn’t live up to your expectations!
Rida says
Made this cake tonight as practice for my sister’s small wedding. It was DELICIOUS! I was wondering- when it says to add the flour mix and chai milk, do I do that using the electric mixer or fold them in using a spatula? Thanks again for this wonderful recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Rida! So glad you loved it 🙂 I use a stand mixer to do that part, but a hand mixer will work fine.
Sherrie says
For my 60th birthday this week, I am treating myself to the ultimate spice cake and your recipe looks great. I have 2 9″ cake pans, how much time do think they would take. I don’t want to be opening the doors to keep checking. I do not have cardamom so thought about replacing with chinese 5 spice or just leaving it out, thoughts?
Olivia says
Hi Sherrie! The layers would be thinner in two 9″ pans, but it’s hard to say how long they would bake as ovens differ. I would take a look at them at 20mins and see how they are coming along. Cardamom is a key ingredient in Chai, but I think the Chinese 5 spice could be a unique and delicious addition. Let me know if you try it! And Happy Birthday! 🙂
Betty says
I’m really excited to try this recipe! I was just wondering if you can sub the spices for the contents of tea bags instead?
Olivia says
Hi Betty! You can give that a try but you’d want to make sure they are ground to a fine powder. And I’m not totally sure how many you’d need to use!
Rebecca E says
Easily the best cake I’ve EVER made. It came out perfect and delicious. Couldn’t be happier!!
Olivia says
Yay! So happy you liked it 🙂
Susie J says
Delicious spice mix, but the cake seemed a bit dense. I’m wondering if I overmixed the batter, activating the gluten. I read “mix until fully incorporated”, so did so, but I know typically you mix until “just incorporated”, with a few lumps being okay. Thoughts?
I also paired this with German buttercream instead and it was a delicious pairing!
Olivia says
Hi Susie! I do like my cakes more on the dense side vs light & fluffy, but they should not be *too* dense. Overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added — it develops too much gluten. I often fold in the last little bits by hand. Otherwise, how do you measure your flour? I always recommend spooning flour into the cup and leveling it off rather than using the cup to scoop it. The latter can add too much flour to a recipe.
Money says
Hi Olivia! How deep are your 6 inch pans? I am looking to purchase them right now however I see 2 inch deep and 3 inch deep.
Olivia says
Hi Money! Mine are all 2″ tall and the cakes bake right to the top. 3″ tall ones will work fine too!
Uzma says
Hi! If you aren’t a fan of super sweet frosting, can we use less sugar in the frosting? Thank you!
Uzma says
To clarify, I meant that it shouldn’t affect the frosting, right? It will still be stable and usable?
Olivia says
Hi Uzma! I wouldn’t reduce the sugar here as the frosting is already very soft and cutting back on the sugar would make it softer.
Uzma says
Okay, thank you!
Uzma says
LOL I’m so so so so sooo sorry, one last question! If I were to make this in the 8 inch pans and have four layers to my cake (cutting the two cakes in half), is there enough frosting or should I make a double batch just to be safe? Thank you for your patience 🙂 <3
Olivia says
I would 1.5x the frosting just to be safe, but I always prefer too much frosting rather than not enough!
Uzma says
Same, I would rather have more than less! Thank you so much!!! 🙂
Uzma says
Hiii!!! I have another question! Say I don’t have 6 inch pans, should I change the serving size at the bottom from 12 to 14 to use two 8 inch pans or do you suggest I just buy three 6 inch pans?
Thank you so much!!
Olivia says
Hi Uzma! The recipe as-is will work fine for two 8″ pans. The baking time might be slightly shorter.
Uzma says
Ohh, perfect! Thank you so much! I’m so excited to make this! 💗
–
I’ll def tag you on my post! I tagged you on my black forest post and you saw it, it made me so happy!!! 🥰
Uzma says
Hi!
I want to make this cake for Eid (July 31st), I was wondering if I could use tea bags in milk in the recipe instead of buying the leaves because my family drinks chai from tea bags, so we have a lot. Is that what the recipe meant? Use 2 teabags in 1 1/2 cups of milk for the same effect?
–
Uzma
Olivia says
Hi Uzma! Yes, you can just use the tea bags. And yes, that is what I meant 😀
Uzma says
Awesome!!! Thank you so much! I’m such a huge fan of your blog and recipes! I can’t wait to try this one out soon!!! 💗
Olivia says
I hope you love it! Let me know 🙂
Aanchal Gupta says
I am planning to make cupcakes out of this. How many cupcakes will it make? Also will the frosting measurements mentioned here will be enough ? Or should i reduce it?
Olivia says
Hi Aanchal! It should make 18-24 depending on size. The frosting here should be enough!
Gurpreet says
Hi Olivia , This cake looks sooooo good. I am planning to bake this cake, was going through the ingredients, wondering what is All Spice ? Can we make it at home if it’s not available in the supermarkets.? What are the ingredients required? Also was wondering as it is just 1/2 a tsp of all spices , can we skip it or is it going to effect the taste?
Olivia says
Hi Gurpreet! Allspice is a berry from the Jamaican Bayberry Tree. It has a similar flavour to the combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. You can make it yourself at home. Here’s a recipe for it: https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/homemade-allspice/
Gurpreet says
Ohk ….thank you ! 😊
Lisa says
Sounds delish! Any thoughts about baking in a bundt pan or 9×13 pan….all I have.
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Gina says
I don’t have smaller cake pans but wanted to use a smaller higher design like you.
Do you think I can use glass pans and place them in a water bath to achieve even baking and a flat cake?
Thanks, Gina
Olivia says
Hi Gina! I haven’t tried that myself so I’m not sure if that would work. You could give it a try though!
Kathleen says
This cake is SO perfect! I was apprehensive about the amount of spice, as it thought it would be too much, but it’s just right! Awesome for all occasions. Yum in every way!
Olivia says
Hi Kathleen! So happy to hear you loved it. Thanks for the feedback!
Amber says
I never write reviews but felt obligated to review this cake as I just made this cake and it is sooo delicious! Only thing I Added was a squeeze of lemon into the icing. Thank you so much for sharing this — I will definitely be making it again!
Olivia says
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Amber! I really appreciate it. I’m so happy you liked this cake!
Hope says
I was planning on making this cake for a family gathering! I was wondering if you had any ideas of how to just add a little bit of crunch in between the layers. Also, would caramel go well with this dessert?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Hope! You could make a streusel of sorts to go between the layers. Like this but with regular sugar (https://livforcake.com/maple-cake/). I think caramel would go really well. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Tammy says
Could you use a nondairy milk to make the Chai Tea?
Olivia says
Hi Tammy! For sure! That would work great.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
Olivia says
Hi Vanessa! The cake will be fine in the fridge for a day or two, but any longer it will start to dry out. You also freeze the whole cake for longer though, as long as it’s properly wrapped.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great fall dessert for a shower or brunch!
Olivia says
Hi Suzanne! I think so too! I hope you try it 🙂
Clare says
I don’t normally leave comments, but I just made this cake and brought it into work and I’ve gotten so many compliments! I bring baked goods to work all the time, but this is probably the most compliments I’ve ever gotten. The cake is full of spice, but the cream cheese frosting gives it that balance. I would highly recommend this!
I followed this recipe to a “tea” (pun intended), but baked it in two 9″ rounds as I didn’t have 6″ rounds. Baked them for 20 min and they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Clare! First of all, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it! Second, I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it! Thanks for your tips re: baking in the 9″ pans 🙂
Richard says
How long does it take to bake in a 8inch pan without separate it?
Olivia says
Hi Richard! You’d need a 4″ tall 8″ pan if you wanted to bake it all at once. I’m honestly not sure on time, probably around an hour but maybe longer.
Sara says
This cake looks amazing! Would you make any adjustments for this cake at high altitude?
Olivia says
Hi Sara! I haven’t baked at High Alt myself before, but here’s some good tips to follow. It might require some experimenting. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Krista says
Thanks so much for a great recipe! I baked it in 9inch pans, (2 recipes for 6 layers) only 20minutes bake time. Layered them with Mascarpone whipped cream & cardamom/wine poached pear slices. Your cream cheese frosting on the outside & decorated with colored dried pear slices. It was a huge hit & the entire cake was devoured in one birthday party evening! I’ll be making it again & look forward to trying more of your recipes in the future! 😃
Olivia says
Hi Krista! Happy to hear that you liked it! And thanks so much for all your tips 🙂
Amanda says
Did you use 6 inch pans that are 2inches tall or 3 inches tall?
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! For this cake they were 2″ tall.
David says
Do you think this would work in loaf pans, or would it not rise enough, or be raw in the center ? It sounds delicious, and I was thinking of something diffetant for Christmas dinner. Thank you !
Olivia says
Hi David! You’d need to bake it for longer but it would totally work in loaf pans!
Arre says
Hey, Olivia! I would love to make this cake but have no access to cake flour. Is it possible to use just lain flour instead?
Olivia says
Hi Arre! I used all-purpose flour for the recipe, but either works!
Lauren says
I made this cake for an office birthday party. It was a huge hit! There’s not really a simple way to explain its flavor because it’s so beautifully complex. The spices are nicely layered and in perfect amounts. I can’t wait to make it again! Thank you, Liv!
Olivia says
Hi Lauren! So happy to hear it was a hit!! Glad you liked it 🙂
Randa says
Hi , this looks and sounds amazing 😉.. my question is we are gluten free and what flour would you recommend as a substitute for regular flour.
Olivia says
Hi Randa! Any all-purpose gluten free flour blend should work!
Amanda says
I made a tester cake of this today because I plan on making it for an anniversary party this weekend. The flavors are very good but I found the cake to be a tad dry. What can I do different to help this? Thanks a bunch.
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! Is it possible it was overbaked a bit? You can always brush a simple syrup over the baked layers to add a bit more moisture if you like.
Doreen says
That was going to be my question, as usually in my opinion, Cakes with butter tend to be a bit dryer than a cake with oil or buttermilk in my opinion. I have been asked to make this for a friend’s Christmas and there is nothing worse than dry cake. I will try a test run with and without simple syrup.
Lin says
I made this for mother’s day and the taste was great but it didn’t rise very much. I think the biggest culprit is that my baking powder was probably old but I’m wondering if this is meant to have a dense structure?
Olivia says
Hi Lin! It should not be too dense, no. The baking powder could be a culprit. Also make sure to not overmix the cake batter!
Megan Talbott says
I would like to make these into cupcakes for 60 or so. I see from other comments that you suggest baking them at the same temperature and checking after 15 minutes. Do you have any tips about doubling or tripling the recipe? Do you think it would just be proportional or would there be other adjustments? Thanks for your ideas. This will be for my husband’s 50th birthday party and he just loves chai and also spice cake, so I’m hoping it works out well.
Olivia says
Hi Megan! The recipe as is should make about 24 cupcakes (ish), so you would probably want to make 3 batches. Although, maybe start with just doubling it and see how many cupcakes you get? Depending in the size, it might make enough 🙂 I’ve never 3x a recipe before (my mixer couldn’t handle it!) and I know there could be issues when scaling up so much so it might be safer to double and start there.
Olivia says
Err no, bad math on my part. 2.5x the recipe not 3x unless you want a crazy amt of leftovers 🙂 You can use the slider in the Servings in the recipe to adjust for size.
Ferjana says
This cake was delicious! The perfect amount of spices and chai flavor. I made half the recipe and it made 12 decent sized cupcakes. I didn’t make the frosting but I am sure it’s good 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Ferjana! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Arlie says
I made this into cupcakes, and they were amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Olivia says
So glad you liked it Arlie!
Gigi says
Delicious! Made this last night and it could not have come out better. Yum.
Olivia says
Hi Gigi! So happy to hear that you liked it! 😀
Ella says
This is delicious! I have made it twice and it has turned out perfectly each time.
Olivia says
Hi Ella! I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
bridget says
Love it! so original and pretty decoration.
But the gooseberries are actually Peruvian ground cherries or in Spanish “ahuaymanto”.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Bridget! It’s the same thing, they are called Cape Gooseberries here.
Amy says
Would this work for cupcakes?
Olivia says
Hi Amy! Yes, but you’d have to adjust the baking time to 15-20mins or so.
Lauren says
How many cupcakes do you think this would make? I’m trying to figure out if I should double the recipe or not for 24 cupcakes…
Olivia says
Hi Lauren! I’ve never made this into cupcakes, so I’m not 100% sure on the yield, but I would imagine about 20 or so, give or take? Bake at the same temperature, but check them after 15mins or so as they may be done by then.
Cindy Rodriguez says
Such a gorgeous cake! I love chai tea so am sure this will taste so delicious. I can’t believe how many stores you had to go to for the deco but it was so worth it. It’s perfect for fall!
Olivia says
Thanks Cindy! It was a trek but it was worth it 🙂
Valeriya says
OMG – your struggle of 8+ stores to make 1 cake is so familar. I live in Hong Kong and thought only we are doomed here. In a strange way nice to know other cities struggle in availability and consistency of availability of simple items. Beautiful cakes – will try making one for this weekend’s belated Canadian Thanksgiving Party :))
Olivia says
Hah! I am glad to know I’m not alone!! I feel like people that live in the US have easy access to SO much more than we have here. It can be frustrating. And thank you! Let me know which one you end up making and how you like it 🙂
Susan Sands says
This looks amazing!! I absolutely love Chai and would love to try this cake! I don’t have any 6″ cake pans at the moment..do you think this would work with 2-9″ pans instead?
Olivia says
Hi Susan! I think the cake layers will be too thin in 9″ pans. Maybe 1.5x the recipe if you’re trying that? Only fill the pans 2/3rds full and if you have extra batter you can always make cupcakes 🙂
Ruth-Ann says
How about 8″ pans? I’d love to try this recipe but only have 8″ and 9″ pans.
Olivia says
This recipe will work as is in two 8″ pans 🙂
Ruth-Ann says
Awesome!! On my list now… I just have to remember that my frosting won’t look even an 1/8th as nice as yours. 🙂
Olivia says
I bet it will look just fine and the important thing is how it tastes 🙂
Ruth-Ann says
Do you think it would work in the heritage or blossom pans? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Ruth-Ann! Yes, I think it would work well with either of those, though it might not bake up to the top of the pans.
Sam Kwon says
If I want to do three layers with 9” pans, do you recommend doubling the recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Sam! Yes, I would double the recipe for three 9″ pans. The layers might be slightly thinner, so reduce baking time if needed.
Elaine Cobb says
This cake looks so yummy and beautiful. I love Chai tea. I must try it in this cake. Thank you.
I love your recipes!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Elaine! I hope you like it 🙂
Linda Szymoniak says
This sounds wonderful, although I’d have to omit the anise from the garnish. Can’t stand the stuff myself, although it is pretty.
Olivia says
Hi Linda! I can’t stand it either!! The smell is horrible, but it looked so pretty that I made do for the pics 🙂
Lovefoodies says
This looks so beautiful and the decorations are perfect! I’m a huge fan of mascarpone frosting as I like a less sweet cake (must be the British side of me!). I’m going to try this cake when I get my new kitchen finished. I can smell the lovely aromas now!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Mary! Cheese frostings are really delicious, and they contrast well with the sweetness of the cakes like you say. I hope you like it! 🙂
Sue says
I think that the fruit you used as a garnish is really ground cherries a relative of Chinese Lantern and tomatillos. The husk around the fruit is indicative. Gooseberries are naked on the bush fruits more like a current type fruit. Either way the result is beautiful.
Olivia says
Hi Sue! Thank you! I think they’re actually called Cape Gooseberries (http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-deal-19-34637) which are related to the tomatillas.
Hakima says
YAAAAAAAAASSS!
I LOVE Chai. My dad is from South Yemen, and they make a similar chai. For mine, I only add cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
Anyway, this looks amazing and I have all the ingredients, so soon, I shall be making this cake!
Olivia says
Yay!! I hope you like this one 😀 Let me know how it turns out!