Chai is my favorite flavor profile. There is just something about the way that the spices work together to create such a warm and comforting feeling to anything it is added to and I absolutely love it.
Chai pairs beautifully with chocolate in cupcakes, in oatmeal and granola and with vanilla in todays fabulous cake.
This cake is super simple to bring together. Everything is mixed in the same bowl and the aside from the chai spices, nothing fancy or uncommon is required to whip it up.
With a moist, tender sponge and those classic chai flavors, a slice of this cake belongs next to your afternoon coffee or tea. It really does.
Let’s get started…
Begin by creaming 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter with 1/3 cup of vegetable oil until they are completely combined. Add 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar and mix until the sugar is full incorporated into the butter and oil and develops a pale yellow color.
Add 4 large eggs and a tablespoon of good pure vanilla extract and whisk vigorously until the mixture is fluffy and full of bubbles.
Now, add the dry ingredients into the mix. Add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and a pinch of black pepper and mix until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated.
The last step is to mix 1 1/4 cups of whole milk into the batter and mix until the milk is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Transfer the batter into greased and parchment lined baking pans. You can use two 8″ or two 9″ cake pans or a 9″x13″ baking dish for this recipe.
Bake the cake in a 325 degree oven for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center of the cake clean. Transfer the cake onto a cooling rack to cool fully while you whip up the frosting…
Combine a cup of room temperature butter with 8 ounces of cream cheese in a bowl and use an electric hand mixer to beat until creamy.
Add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, a cup of confectioners sugar and your spices into the butter and cream cheese and mix until incorporated. Keep adding confectioners sugar until your frosting develops the consistency and level of sweetness that you prefer.
Once the cakes are cooled, add the frosting however the spirit leads. You can add a layer and stack your cakes 2 high. You can cut each round in half horizontally and make a 4 layer cake or you can make 2 individual cakes and give all of your friends and family their own slice.
Regardless of how you dress this cake up, you are going to absolutely love it…
I can’t decide whether I like the texture or the flavor of the cake or the frosting best about this whole vanilla chai situation. It is all fantastic! The spices are evident, but not overpowering and the sweetness level of both the cake and frosting is just right.
If you are looking for simple chai spiced cake for anything from a weeknight snack to the main dessert event of your next party then you’ll have to give this one a try…
Vanilla Chai Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Chai Cake
- 8 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups of whole milk
Chai Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup of butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
- a pinch of cardamom and nutmeg
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
- Grease two 8 inch or 9 inch cake pans or a 9"x13" baking dish, line with parchment paper and set aside for now
Make the cake...
- Combine 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer to mix on medium speed until completely combined
- Add 1 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and continue mixing on medium speed until the mixture is thick and develops a pale yellow color
- Add 4 large eggs and a tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix on medium high speed until the mixture is fluffy and full of air bubbles
- Sift 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and a pinch of black pepper into the bowl and mix until just combined
- Add 1 1/4 cup of whole milk and mix until just incorporated (tiny lumps are ok! Do not over mix this batter)
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans
- Bake in a 325 degree oven for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center of the cake clean
- Transfer the cake pans onto a heat proof surface and let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them out of the pans and onto a cooling rack to cool fully before frosting
Make the frosting...
- In a large bowl, whip 1 cup of room temperature butter with 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until creamy
- Add 1 cup of confectioners sugar along with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, a pinch of cardamom, nutmeg and salt and mix until fully combined
- Continue adding confectioners sugar until you achieve the consistency and level of sweetness you prefer
Assemble the cake...
- Once the cakes are fully cooled, add the frosting
- Layer and decorate as desired
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator
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