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 made a Caramel Spice Cake that was filled with warm and cozy fall spices, and I fell absolutely in love with it. This fall, I adapted the Spice Cake into a Chai Cake and it is somehow even BETTER! It's filled with chai spices and topped with a luscious and flavorful spiced brown sugar cream cheese frosting. This cake is sure to be your favorite dessert this fall.
What is Chai?
Chai literally means 'tea' in Hindi. In India, chai is an important part of the culture, and it's a way of life. It's served for breakfast, afternoon, to guests, special occasions, and so much more. Chai is made up of black tea and a number of strong spices, sugar, and milk. It has become a staple drink that is loved all over the world, including the United States.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple: 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!
- Chai spices: 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.
- Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting: 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.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- 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.
How to Make Chai Cake
Steps to Make Chai Cake
Prep: Grease a 9 inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper and set aside.
Dy Ingredients: In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices, mix 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.
Combine: Add the dry ingredients and fold using a spatula until combined.
Bake: Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Steps to Make Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
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.
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.
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.
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 the frosting from being too soft.
FAQ
Chai literally means 'tea' in Hindi. In India, chai is an important part of the culture, and it's a way of life. It's served for breakfast, afternoon, to guests, special occasions, and so much more. Chai is made up of black tea and a number of strong spices, sugar, and milk. It has become a staple drink that is loved all over the world, including the United States.
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.
More Fall Recipes to Try:
- Banana Caramel Cake
- Caramel Spice Cake
- Banana Spice Cake
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bundt Cake
- Salted Caramel Apple Bars
- Biscoff Pumpkin Pie
📖 Recipe Card
Chai Cake
Ingredients
For the Chai Cake
- 1½ cups (180) 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 (100g) brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup (86g) applesauce room temperature
- ⅓ cup milk room temperature
For the Spiced Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz. cream cheese, cold (full fat)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar packed (make sure it has no clumps)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup 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 (180) 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 (100g) brown sugar, packed, ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup (86g) 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 (100g) 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.
BigDaddy says
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.
Hakima says
Thank you so much for the review! I'm so happy the cake turned out and that you and your daughter enjoyed it!
Amira says
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.
Hakima says
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!
Beth says
this is the best chai cake. the frosting is so dreamy.
Hakima says
Thank you for the wonderful review, Beth. I absolutely love the frosting too. It's such a crowd pleasing cake!
Natasia says
I made this as a layer cake for my friend's birthday and it was sooo delicious, this recipe is perfect
Hakima says
Thank you so much for the review, Natasia! So glad you were able to make it into a layered cake and enjoy it! 🙂