Chai Latte Cake
I have been drinking black tea with milk and sugar for as long as I can remember. My parents never added any spices to their tea so I didn’t get exposed to masala chai until a few years ago when I tried it at an Indian restaurant and I was hooked! I had a newfound love for tea! Since then, I’ve tried masala chai at various cafes and restaurants during my travels, in at least 10 countries so far. Most of them were either too spicy or too sweet for my liking, so I’ve been on the search for the most perfect masala chai ever since. ⠀
Then a few months ago, a friend at work gave me some of her mom’s chai masala mix and my life has never been the same! It had the perfect balance of one of my favourite spices, cardamom, mixed with the slightest hint of spice (I don’t like spicy chai) and the warmth and sweetness of fennel seeds.
The other day while making my chai spice blend at home, I got the inspiration to make a cake with chai flavours. I added 2 heaping tablespoons of the chai spices because I wanted the flavours to really come through and boy did they ever! This recipe was taste-tested by several friends and they all loved it. Surprisingly, the biggest fan was my 6-year-old daughter, Maya who keeps asking when are we having the Chai cake again. She sure has a sophisticated palate for her age. What can I say … she got it from her mama!!
If you already make your own masala chai mix at home, then you can totally use your own spice blend instead of the 4-ingredient blend I make. Just follow the rest of the steps to make the cake and let me know how it turns out! If you’ve never made your own chai spice mix before, then start with these 4 ingredients since this is less spicy than traditional masala chai.
I started with boiling the milk with three tea bags and letting it simmer for a few minutes. Then I prepared the rest of the ingredients while the milk cooled down. I used Cream Cheese Frosting when I made this cake the first time and it was delicious. For the second time, I wanted to increase the richness of the cake and used white chocolate ganache filling. I got this decadent idea from the recipe book, Just Moments by Raveena Oberoi, the founder of Just Cakes Bake Shop.
This recipe works well for making cupcakes as well. The yield is 18 cupcakes, and you can top them with the Cream Cheese Frosting for a creamy and sweet option or try the Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting for a fluffy and light option. You can skip the White Chocolate Ganache filling if you’re making cupcakes. I had some filling leftover from the cake recipe, so I decided to apply a thin layer on top of the cupcake before piping the frosting. It was dee-licious and felt like a double treat. If you’re up for making the White Chocolate Ganache for your cupcakes, I recommend using ⅓ cup of white couverture chocolate and 2 tbsp of heavy (whip) cream since the recipe below for the cake filling would be way too much for the cupcakes.
Prep time: 45 mins | Bake time: 30-35 mins | Servings: 6-8 slices
Ingredients
Chai Spices
¼ cup fennel seeds
20-25 green cardamom pods
½ tbsp cloves (about 20 pcs)
5 pcs of cinnamon (about 1” each in length)
White Chocolate Ganache Filling
⅓ cup heavy (whip) cream (35% M.F.)
1 cup white couverture chocolate
Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting
1 cup heavy cream (35% M.F.)
1/4 cup icing sugar (sifted)
¼ cup mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Alternate Option: Cream Cheese Frosting
see Carrot Cake recipe for ingredients
Chai Latte Cake
1¼ cup whole milk (or 2%)
3 tea bags - preferably chai flavoured or any good old black tea, e.g. Orange Pekoe, English Breakfast, etc.
2¼ cups cake & pastry flour (spooned & leveled)*
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
2½ tbsp chai spices (ingredients listed separately)
1 cup boiled milk with tea bags
2 tbsp lemon juice (or 1 tbsp white vinegar)
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
1 cup sugar**
4 large eggs (room temperature)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Pour the milk in a medium pot, add the tea bags and bring to a boil; simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
Remove the tea bags and measure 1 cup of milk, leave to cool.
Grind all the chai spice ingredients in a spice blender until finely ground (yields about 1/3 cup).
Whisk the cake flour with the next 3 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Mix lemon juice with the cooled cup of milk and let it sit for 10 mins to thicken (this is a buttermilk substitute and helps to make the cake less dense and more fluffy).
Mix the butter with sugar in a mixer on medium-high speed until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time and mix until fully incorporated.
Add vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture about half a cup at a time and alternate with the milk-lemon (buttermilk) mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients (do not over-mix).
Heat oven to 350°F.
Pour cake batter into three 6-inch round cake pans (or two 8-inch round pans) and bake for 25 - 30 mins, turning once after 15 minutes. Adjust the time if you’re using 8” pans.
Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, then it's done!
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Place white chocolate couverture chips in a glass (or heat-resistant) bowl.
Heat the heavy cream in a small pot on medium heat until it comes to a boil.
Pour hot cream over the chocolate and mix with a whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool for 2 hours.
While the cake and filling are cooling down to room temperature, place mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge or freezer to be very cold. This is a key step for the whipped cream frosting.
Add the heavy cream and icing sugar to the mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed for 4-6 minutes until still peaks form.
Add vanilla extract and mascarpone cheese and mix on medium speed for 1 minute until well mixed. If the frosting seems too runny, mix for another minute until you achieve stiff peaks.
If you want to make the Cream Cheese Frosting instead, refer to my Carrot Cake recipe for mixing instructions.
The final assembly: start by cutting off uneven surfaces from the cake layers. Place first layer on a cake board and fill with the ganache filling. Place the second cake layer and repeat this step.
Place the final layer on the cake and spread the frosting generously all over the top and side of the cake until well covered. Decorate as desired.
Recipe Notes
*Spoon & level method - do not scoop flour out of the bag/container with your measuring cup. Instead, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup and once full, use the back of a knife to level off the cup; do not tap the cup.
**The Mascarpone Whipped Cream frosting is not very sweet. If you plan on using this frosting and you prefer your cakes to be pretty sweet, then use 1¼ cup of sugar instead of 1 cup.
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If you give this recipe a try, do let me know how it turns out.
Comment below or share a photo on IG and tag @emmaya.us.
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About Me
Hi there! I’m Tahmina - mom of two girls, an engineer, a passionate baker, a decent cook, and a creative event planner.
I’ve always enjoyed baking but became passionate about it after I had my first child. Now I combine my knowledge from working in the food industry and increased interest in food and nutrition to experiment with various ingredients and recipes.
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