A simple, one layer Chai Cake that is tender, moist, and filled with chai spices, and then topped with a spiced Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. It's luscious, delicious, and a little addictive!
Last fall I shared my Caramel Spice Cake, a cozy dessert full of warm autumn flavors. This year, I took that same idea and turned it into a Chai Cake, and honestly, it might be even better. Every bite is filled with the classic chai spices (think cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves) and finished with a rich, spiced brown sugar cream cheese frosting. This easy chai spice cake is the kind of dessert that feels made for fall gatherings, cozy weekends, or anytime you're craving something warm, sweet, and full of spice.
If you love a cake filled with fall spices, try my Spiced Banana Cake or Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake.
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I am absolutely obsessed with this recipe. In the last week, I have made 6 batches of this recipe. I have shared with friends, made it for my team at work, and have made it at least three times for my family. I am obsessed. Period.
-Amira
♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Simple one bowl, one pan cake - All you need is one pan for this cake. No fuss, no mess. It can also be made in one bowl! So simple and easy!
Perfectly spiced - This cake is filled with beautiful chai spices that are well balanced. Not over powdering and not too subtle. It's also entirely customizable. You want more nutmeg? Add more! Less cinnamon, don't use as much! Play with the spices how you feel you'll enjoy the cake.
The Frosting takes it over the top - Seriously, it takes this cake to new levels of enjoyment. The brown sugar mixed with cream cheese is AMAZING! It's also not too sweet. The addition of spices gives the cake even more flavor. This frosting would also work beautifully on my Pumpkin Cupcakes.
☕ What is Chai?
The word chai simply means "tea" in Hindi. In India, chai isn't just a drink; it's a way of life. It's enjoyed at breakfast, in the afternoon, shared with guests, and served during celebrations. Traditional Indian chai is made by simmering black tea with warm spices (like cardamom, ginger, and cloves), sugar, and milk. Over time, this spiced tea has become beloved all over the world, including here in the United States, where it's often called "chai tea."
When I bake with chai spices, I try to capture that same cozy balance of sweetness, warmth, and depth that makes a cup of chai so comforting.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Flour: All purpose flour is used in this cake and it creates a beautiful crumb
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Both ingredients help the cake rise.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Both add flavor, and the salt creates balance.
- Chai Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. These spices create the beautiful flavors in this cake & frosting
- Vegetable Oil: It creates the moisture in the crumb. You can use any type of neutral oil.
- Sugars: Both brown and granulated sugar are used in this recipe, for best flavors. Powdered sugar used in the frosting. For the brown sugar, you can use either dark or light brown, in both the cake and the frosting.
- Applesauce: The applesauce adds flavor as well as moisture.
- Eggs: 2 large eggs are used for structure.
- Milk: Whole milk is used in this cake for extra moisture.
- Cream cheese: Cold full fat cream cheese used for the frosting.
- Butter: A little butter for the frosting. I like using unsalted.
See recipe card for quantities.
⇄ Substitutions
Sour cream: Instead of applesauce, you can use sour cream- 1:1 ratio. I originally tested it out using sour cream, but I personally prefer the applesauce version.
Dairy-Free milk: You can switch up the milk and use a dairy-free milk if you'd like.
Spices: Add more or less of the spices. You can even add some allspice.
Frosting: If you're not a fan of the brown sugar cream cheese frosting, you can switch it up using the frosting from my Spiced Banana Cake, which is a plain cream cheese frosting. You can even leave out the cream cheese and go for a spiced vanilla buttercream or plain buttercream.
✨ Variations
Nuts: You can add nuts to the top of the cake for an added crunch and texture.
Frosting: Switch up the frosting to a regular cream cheese frosting, or a vanilla buttercream.
Layer cake: You can double the recipe and use two 9 inch pans, or three 8 inch pans (baking time will be longer, so keep an eye out).
Bundt cake: To make a bundt cake, double the recipe (no need to double the frosting unless you want more) and bake. The baking time will be longer, so you'll need to keep an eye out for it.
8x8 cake: This Chai Cake works beautifully in an 8x8 square pan. Just bake it closer to 30 minutes.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Step 1
Prep: Grease a 9 inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper and set aside.
Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil, and mix well, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking until incorporated. Add the applesauce and mix well, then add the milk and whisk again.
Step 2
Dry Ingredients: Sift in the dry ingredients and mix using a spatula until just combined.
Step 3
Bake: Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step 4
Beat together: In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment (you can use a hand mixer too), combine cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar and beat or whisk on high speed for 5 minutes until completely smooth (make sure to scrape down the bowl frequently).
Add: Next, add salt and vanilla extract, then mix to combine, then add the powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time beat/whisk on high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes until completely incorporated and smooth, making sure to scrape down the bowl frequently. Lastly, add the spices, then mix again for another 30 seconds.
💬 FAQ
Make sure to start with COLD cream cheese. This will help the frosting from getting too soft. If you feel like it's too soft, refrigerate the frosting once whipped up and before frosting the cake. Make sure to keep the cake refrigerated when not eating.
Yes. This cake can be made as a layer cake. Double the recipe (double the frosting as well) and bake in two 9 inch cake pans or three 8 inch cake pans.
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Don't over mix- Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing.
Room temperature ingredients - It's easier for the ingredients to mix together if everything is at room temperature. Make sure to use room temperature ingredients where it's called for.
Don't over bake - Start checking the Chai Cake at 25 minutes by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven. Depending on your oven, it could take longer, or even less time.
Cold cream cheese - Unlike the other ingredients, make sure your cream cheese is cold, right out of the fridge. This helps prevent the frosting from being too soft.
❄ Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Freeze, wrap the cake layers (before frosting) very well in saran wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil or place in a ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
📖 Recipe Card
Chai Cake
Ingredients
For the Chai Cake
- 1½ cups (180 g) all Purpose Flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup (86 g) applesauce room temperature
- ⅓ cup (81 g) milk room temperature
For the Spiced Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz. cream cheese, cold (full fat)
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar packed (make sure it has no clumps)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch of ground cardamom
- pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
For the Chai Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉
- Grease a 9 inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices, mix and set aside.1½ cups all Purpose Flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil, and mix well, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking until incorporated. Add the applesauce and mix well, then add the milk and whisk again.½ cup brown sugar, packed, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup applesauce, ⅓ cup milk
- Add the dry ingredients and fold using a spatula until combined.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
For the Spiced Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment (you can use a hand mixer too), combine cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar and beat or whisk on high speed for 5 minutes until completely smooth (make sure to scrape down the bowl frequently).6 oz. cream cheese,, ¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar
- Add salt and vanilla extract, then mix to combine, then add the powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time beat/whisk on high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes until completely incorporated and smooth, making sure to scrape down the bowl frequently. Lastly, add the spices, then mix again for another 30 seconds.½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of ground nutmeg, pinch of ground cardamom, pinch of ground cloves
- Once cake is cooled, top with frosting and enjoy.
- Keep cake refrigerated.
Me and my daughter made this cake together, we made two. Thankfully it went down a storm at home and at work. Can't believe how light the sponge was. Looking forward to recreating more of your recipes Hakima.
Thank you so much for the review! I'm so happy the cake turned out and that you and your daughter enjoyed it!
I am absolutely obsessed with this recipe. In the last week, I have made 6 batches of this recipe. I have shared with friends, made it for my team at work, and have made it at least three times for my family. I am obsessed. Period.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake, Amira! This is one of my favorite cakes to make in the fall, or any other time of year, to be honest! 🙂 So happy you love this cake so much!
this is the best chai cake. the frosting is so dreamy.
Thank you for the wonderful review, Beth. I absolutely love the frosting too. It's such a crowd pleasing cake!
I made this as a layer cake for my friend's birthday and it was sooo delicious, this recipe is perfect
Thank you so much for the review, Natasia! So glad you were able to make it into a layered cake and enjoy it! 🙂