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 flavor, 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 flavor of this cake is delicious, and the texture is perfect. But if you don’t like chai, you probably won’t like the flavor 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:
- Apr 14, 2022 – Cream Cheese Frosting recipe revised to make a more stable frosting.
- 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 extract
- 1 cup Chai tea milk
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup cream cheese 8oz, full fat, chilled, cubed
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- cornstarch or meringue powder optional
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:
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer beat butter until pale and creamy.
- Reduce speed to low. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and continue to beat on medium for 1 minute.
- Slowly add chilled cream cheese one cube at a time (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Beat well until blended and ensure no lumps of cream cheese remain.
- If needed, add cornstarch or meringue powder 1 tablespoon at a time to stiffen the frosting (I didn't but this is an option).
- Run mixer on low for a couple of minutes to remove any air bubbles.
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.
Tara says
Can I replace the tea bags for roobios chai bags for caffeine free? Or a chai concentrate that’s also caffeine free?
Olivia says
Hi Tara! Yes you can use any kind of tea.
Meri says
This may be dumb to ask but…chai milk?
Olivia says
Hi Meri! This is in the first step in the recipe — steep some chai tea in some warm milk.
Kim says
Delicious chai flavor! Reduced the bake time in my convection oven to 28 minutes. Probably could have done 26, but it turned out alright at 28. Added a chocolate ganache drip and top and glitter dust for decoration. High marks from the birthday recipient I made it for!
Olivia says
Hi Kim! So glad you liked it 🙂
Sarah says
Would Buttermilk work in this recipe or would it affect the leavening agents?
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! It should be fine. The cake may be slightly more dense.
Liz says
How far ahead of time can you make the cake? And how to store during that time? I am wanting to make it 48 hours before serving but I can make the frosting and decorate the day I’m serving it. Thank you! Love your website.
Olivia says
Hi Liz! If just a couple days you can store the whole finished cake in the fridge. Otherwise you can freeze the cake layers and take them our 2-3 hours before you want to assemble and decorate.
Kelsey D says
Hi, has anyone made it into cupcakes? How many cupcakes did it make?
Olivia says
Hi Kelsey! It should make 18-24 depending on size.
Julia says
Can this recipe be used as cupcakes instead?
Olivia says
Hi Julia! Yes, for sure. Start checking them at 15mins or so. The recipe should make 18-24 depending on size.
Julia says
Thank you!!!
Kathy Lougiu says
Can I substitute a sugar free alternative to this recipe? LIke Splenda or Stevia or some other sort of sweetening agent?
Olivia says
Hi Kathy! I haven’t done that myself but I would recommend Swerve as the best sugar replacement. I’m not sure how well it would work for the frosting though.
Sally says
Hey Liv! Love your recipes and it’s always a success I try them. Question on the chai cake vs. earl grey cake – I noticed for earl grey cake you put actual ground tea leaves in. I found this gave the best tea flavour compared to other recipes i’ve tried. Would that not also be recommended for the chai cake, instead of the spices?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Sally! You can do it that way instead for the Chai cake if you prefer 🙂 Either will work fine. If you have a particular Chai tea that you love you can definitely use that.
Sally says
you’re so amazing for always replying! i’m honoured 🙂 I suppose the spice flavour is preferred vs tea since that is what you wrote in the recipe? i’m making this for an eid al-fitr in April so just preparing. so excited to make another of your creations xo
Tammi says
We LOVED this cake but it was a little dense. I’m thinking I may need to get new baking powder. Do you have any suggestions for making it lighter and fluffier other than that? Also – I added the same spices to the cream cheese frosting instead of the vanilla and it was fabulous. My hubby is a huge chai fan and love the spiciness of it. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Tammi! My cakes tend to be more on the dense side rather than light and fluffy, but it shouldn’t be unpleasantly dense. Overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added (it develops too much gluten) or not using room temperature ingredients so the cake batter doesn’t emulsify properly. Another issue could be too much flour. It’s best to spoon the flour into your measuring up and level it off. If you dip your scoop into your flour sometimes you get more than you need. Expired baking powder would definitely be a culprit but those are a few other things that can lead to it 🙂
Adriana Castro says
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
Olivia says
Hi Adriana! Yes, make sure it’s a proper all-purpose GF flour.
Hannah says
Looks beautiful, love the decor! Would like to clarify that chai IS tea, so saying “chai tea” as it is referred to, so much nowadays, is redundant 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Hannah! Good to know. I hope you try this one soon 🙂
Jo says
Do you want a conversion would be a Bundt cake pan?
Olivia says
Hi Jo! All you need to do is increase the baking time. I can’t say for sure what it would be as every over bakes differently so be sure to check on the cake as it’s baking 🙂
Elaine says
Hi Liv! Need a suggestion with some guidance please. Every year I make this recipe using the Nordic Ware gingerbread people cakelet pan and it works great. The icing is used to decorate the cakes. This year every cakelet stuck badly in the pan and broke into pieces. A disaster! The cake tastes delicious so I’m hoping to salvage it. Would you suggest a trifle or something else? And if a trifle, what would you do? I know it’s not exactly a cake request but hoping you can help me save the day. Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Elaine! So sorry to hear it stuck! Did you leave the cakes in the pan too long after taking them out of the oven? If you haven’t already, give my homemade cake release a try next time. I swear by it, especially for Bundt pans! https://livforcake.com/homemade-cake-release/
As for what to for with the scraps, a trifle or cake pops would be the best bet, though I’ll admit I’ve never made either. For a trifle, I would layer the cake with some frosting or whipped cream with some berries or lemon/orange curd.
Elaine says
Thank you! I was thinking of whipped cream and english custard layers, but thought it might be too bland. I will save for the December holidays and try your suggestion. Will let you know.
Olivia says
Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Elaine says
Hi Liv, the combination of lemon curd, English custard and whipped cream with your spice cake recipe was a hit! The trifle looked great and tasted delicious. Thank you so much!! You saved our Christmas dessert!! Happy New Year wishes to everyone!
Olivia says
Yay!! So glad it turned out 🙂 Happy New Year to you as well!
Brooke says
Hi
This recipe looks delish but could I subsitute 2 9 inch pans instaed of 3 6 inch pans?
Thanks, Brooke
Olivia says
Hi Brooke! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
I would probably 1.25x-1.5x the recipe. You can change the Servings to adjust the amounts. Baking time may need to be adjusted.
Ashley H says
Hello Liv!
This chai cake looks delicious and I’m planning to bake it next week for Canadian Thanksgiving.
I need it to feed several people, so I’m planning to convert it from a three-layer six inch cake to a two-layer nine inch cake. My question is, should I make it using the exact same quantity of ingredients, or should I multiple everything by 1.5?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Ashley! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
The recipe as-is works for a two-layer 8″ so I would 1.25x the recipe to make sure you have enough. You can adjust the Servings to get the amounts.
Ashley H says
Hi Olivia!
Thanks for answering my question and hopefully this will be the final one!
I’m planning to multiply the recipe by 1.25 in order to make two nine-inch cakes. In your original recipe, you say the six-inch cakes should bake for 35-40 minutes, so my question to you is, if I alter the recipe, what would you recommend for the bake time?
Thanks again!
Olivia says
Baking time is hard to say, it should be similar but will vary slightly depending on how much batter is in the pans but also how your oven bakes. I recommend checking on the cake while it’s baking. Here are my tips for testing if a cake is done:
1. Peek through the oven window. To see if the cakes are a nice golden brown (doesn’t really work for chocolate cakes).
2. Nudge the oven. Gently nudge your oven (assuming it’s free-standing and not built-in). If there is any jiggle in the center of the cakes, leave the oven door closed and bake for a few minutes longer.
3. Nudge the pans. Open the oven and gently nudge the pans. If there is any jiggle in the center of the cakes, close the oven door and bake for a few minutes longer.
4. Poke the cake. Gently poke the top of the cake with your finger. If the cake is firm and springs back, it’s ready for the next step.
5. Toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. When there are a few crumbs on the toothpick, the cake is ready. You want crumbs on there because the cake keeps cooking when you take it out of the oven.
Pam M. says
Thank you so much! I was looking for guidance on baking in two 8″ pans instead of three 6″ pans. All my cake domes/cake savers are only tall enough for two layers.
Olivia says
Hi Pam! The recipe as is will work for two 8″ pans.
Sandra Hussey says
Hi Liv,
Your site is my go to for all my birthday cakes. I’m baking this cake today, do you think your mascarpone icing would work will with the chai. I have made mascarpone icing before not your recipe but it came out too thin.
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Sandra! I think it would be a yummy combo 🙂 Let me know if you try it.
Jyoti says
Hi Liv,
Recipe looks so delicious 🤤
I want to try the cake but i want to make 3 layers of 8”
Please tell me should i double the quantity?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Jyoti! Yes, I would 1.5x the recipe for three 9″ layers.