Chai Latte Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

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Bring your favorite chai latte beverage to your cake with this chai cake. A light and fluffy vanilla cake batter infused with perfectly balanced chai spice mix and freshly prepared tea. Accompanied by vanilla buttercream frosting to enhance and preserve the chai flavors. The recipe is surprisingly simple and easy to make too.

I cannot start my day without a cup of tea and my tea means homemade chai. Made with ginger, cardamom, my homemade chai spice mix. I loved the idea of adding homemade chai spice to a cake. We made it once and because it became so popular we ended up making it twice more in one week.

Why make this cake recipe?

• A classic butter-based cake with both white and brown sugars using my chai spice mix which is a perfectly mixed blend of ground ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.
• Most of the ingredients are easy to find or simple pantry staples.
• Today, I am making a chai spiced layer cake but you can also bake this cake batter in a bundt pan, loaf pan, or square cake pan to make a chai spice tea cake.
• I have used vanilla frosting for this cake but cream cheese frosting is also a perfect combination. In fact, my favorite is the no-butter cream cheese frosting.
• You must love the flavor and aromas of chai to enjoy this cake. If you don’t like chai spices you can also make Earl Grey cake or vanilla cafe latte cake which are both mildly spiced.
• The process and timeline for this cake is simple and easy
  • Cake batter – 10 minutes
  • Bake cake – 35 minutes
  • Frost the cake – 20 mins

Ingredients and substitutes

• All-Purpose Flour – regular all-purpose flour works great. No need to look for anything else. If you have only self-raising flour on hand use it but reduce the baking powder by half. 
• Unsalted Butter – I always use unsalted so I can control the amount of salt but if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe. 
• Brown Sugar – I love the flavor molasses from the brown sugar adds to the recipe. You can use all white of course and the color of the cake will be a tad lighter but still delicious
• Spices – Chai is all about spices. You can buy Indian chai tea bags that come with the spics and infuse them in the milk. The spice mix just makes it more potent and stronger in flavor.
• Teabags – these are regular breakfast tea bags unless you choose to buy Indian chai-flavored tea bags. You can also use Earl Grey tea bags but take note that you will have a Beaumont flavor along with the chai

How to make a chia spiced cake

Chai spice cake

• Oven – Preheat the oven to 325 F/ 165 C/ Gas Mark 3. Grease and line with parchment paper 3 x 6-inch round cake pans or 2 x 8-inch round cake pans
• Chai – Infuse the tea bags in hot milk for 10 to 15 minutes until cooled.
  Pro tip – Alternatively, you can make the chai in a small saucepan over medium heat using chai leaves and milk. Stain before using it.
• Dry ingredients – In a medium bowl, combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, chai spice mix, and salt – stir or sift and set aside.
• Batter – In the large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy
• Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Then, add the flour mixture and the infused tea in three additions.
• Pans – Divide batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
  Pro tip – I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
• Bake – Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
• Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate.

Vanilla buttercream frosting

• In a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth. Add salt, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed.
• Then, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar has been incorporated continue to mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes more until you have a light and fluffy buttercream.
  Pro tip – a good buttercream needs to be whipped for at least 2 to 3 minutes if not, it will not be light and fluffy. Overwhipping can incorporate too much air as well.

Assemble

• Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using.
  Pro tip– Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.
• Level – Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
• Stack – Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream – spread evenly using a straight edge spatula. Then top the second cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and the last layer.
• Chill – Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
  Pro tip – Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don’t move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
• Frost – Spread the remaining buttercream on top and sides of the cake. Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula around the cake.
  Pro tip – A straight edge spatula fo the top, an off-set spatula and bench scraper for the sides of the cake work better.
• Decorate – I decorated with whole spices used in the chai spice mix for a rustic buttercream look.

Storage

• Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated because this frosting is not made with perishable ingredients. However, if you a perishable frosting such as cream cheese or whipped cream please keep the cake in the fridge at all times. Thaw an hour before serving.
• This cake frosted with vanilla frosting can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Once cut always cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap so the cake does not dry out.
• The unfrosted cake layers can be kept in the freezer for up to a month well wrapped in plastic wrap.

Tips for success

• Use fine-grain sugar when preparing cake batters so it creams and dissolves easily.
• Make sure the spices use are fresh. Spices kept for too long lose flavor. You can make your own chai spice with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. 
• Use good quality unsalted butter for baking so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Grease and line the pans with parchment for easy release.
• Keep cakes moist by brushing the layers with simple syrup – simple syrup is a mixture of sugar and water boiled until the sugar is dissolved.
• Cool the cakes for a few hours before frosting or the frosting will melt on warm cakes.
• Use cake strips to bake flat cakes.

More layer cakes

• Cardamom Cake with Mocha Buttercream
• Vanilla Cafe Latte Cake with Coffee Buttercream
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake with Maple Buttercream
• Chocolate Cardamom Coffee Cookies
• One Bowl Vanilla Cake, Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe
• Strawberry Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• see all layer cakes

Frequently asked questions

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Chai Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Author: Veena Azmanov

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Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Calories: 657kcal

Adjust Servings Here: 12 servings

Description

Bring your favorite chai latte beverage to your cake with this chai cake. A light and fluffy vanilla cake batter infused with perfectly balanced chai spice mix and freshly prepared tea. Accompanied by vanilla buttercream frosting to enhance and preserve the chai flavors. The recipe is surprisingly simple and easy to make too.

Ingredients 

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Cake batter

• ▢ 8 oz (226 g) Unsalted butter ( room temperature)
• ▢ ½ cup (100 g) White sugar (granulated)
• ▢ ¾ cup (165 g) Light brown sugar
• ▢ 3 Eggs (large)
• ▢ 2 ½ cup (310 g) All-Purpose flour 
• ▢ 2 tsp Baking powder
• ▢ ½ tsp  Baking soda
• ▢ 2 tsp Vanilla
• ▢ ¼ tsp  Salt
• ▢ 4 bags (4 bags) Tea ((regular tea bags))
• ▢ ½ cup (0.50 cups) Hot milk
• ▢ 1 tbsp Chai spice mix (Homemade recipe here)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• ▢ 8 oz (228 grams) Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
• ▢ 3 cups (360 g) Powdered sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) Whipping cream
• ▢ ½ tsp Salt
• ▢ 1 tbsp Vanilla extract

Extra

• ▢ ½ cup (120 ml) Simple syrup ((I added cinnamon, star anise and cardamom for flavor))

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Instructions

Cake Batter

• Oven – Preheat the oven to 325 F/ 165 C/ Gas Mark 3. Grease and line with parchment paper 3 x 6-inch round cake pans or 2 x 8-inch round cake pans
• Chai – Infuse the tea bags in hot milk for 10 to 15 minutes until cooled.

  Pro tip – Alternatively, you can make the chai in a small saucepan over medium heat using chai leaves and milk. Stain before using it.
• Dry ingredients – In a medium bowl, combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, chai spice mix, and salt – stir or sift and set aside.
• Batter – In the large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy
• Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Then, add the flour mixture and the infused tea in three additions.
• Pans – Divide batter equally between the prepared baking pans.

  Pro tip – I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
• Bake – Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
• Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• In a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth. Add salt, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed.
• Then, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar has been incorporated continue to mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes more until you have a light and fluffy buttercream.

  Pro tip – a good buttercream needs to be whipped for at least 2 to 3 minutes if not, it will not be light and fluffy. Overwhipping can incorporate too much air as well.

Assemble

• Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using.

  Pro tip– Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.
• Level – Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
• Stack – Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream – spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Then top the second cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and the last layer.
• Chill – Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.

  Pro tip – Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
• Frost – Spread the remaining buttercream around and on top of the cake. Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula around the cake.

  Pro tip – A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula and bench scraper for the sides work better.
• Decorate – I decorated with whole spices used in the chai spice mix for a rustic buttercream look.

Storage

• Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated.
• It can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula around the cake.

Recipe Notes & Tips

• Use fine-grain sugar when preparing cake batters so it creams and dissolves easily.
• Make sure the spices use are fresh. Spices kept for too long lose flavor. You can make your own chai spice with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. 
• Use good quality unsalted butter for baking so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Grease and line the pans with parchment for easy release.
• Keep cakes moist by brushing the layers with simple syrup – simple syrup is a mixture of sugar and water boiled until the sugar is dissolved.
• Cool the cakes for a few hours before frosting or the frosting will melt on warm cakes.
• Use cake strips to bake flat cakes.
• Make ahead instructions –
  • The cake layers can be made up to 2 to 3 days ahead. Unfrosted the layers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the layer well wrapped in plastic for up to a month.  Thaw in the fridge for best results. 
  • You can assemble chilled cakes but bring them to almost room temperature when serving.
• Other pans suggestions – If you don’t want to make a chai layer cake you can also make 
  • Chai sheet cake – Pour this batter in a sheet 9 x 13 sheet pan. Bake for 25 to 30 mins
  • Chai bundt cake – Pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted 10 or 12 cup bundt pan  Bake for 35 to 45 mins. 
  • Chai spice cupcakes – This batch will make 24 beautiful cupcakes. Bake for 20 to 22 mins 

Storage 

• Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated because this frosting is not made with perishable ingredients. However, if you a perishable frosting such as cream cheese or whipped cream. please keep the cake in the fridge at all times. Thaw it an hour before serving.
• This cake frosted with vanilla frosting can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Once cut always cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap so the cake does not dry out.
• The unfrosted cake layers can be kept in the freezer for up to a month well wrapped in plastic wrap.
•  

Conversions Used

1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,

Nutrition Information

Calories: 657– kcalCarbohydrates: 94– gProtein: 4– gFat: 29– gSaturated Fat: 12– gCholesterol: 82– mgSodium: 261– mgPotassium: 194– mgFiber: 0– gSugar: 69– gVitamin A: 550– IUCalcium: 77– mgIron: 1.8– mg

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

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