Easy Spice Cake {Chai Tea Cake}

Quick, easy chai tea spice cake recipe with cream cheese frosting, caramel sauce, pistachios. Simple ingredients make a soft, moist Fall/Thanksgiving cake.

Since I am a huge fan of Chai Tea Latte, I knew I would end up making a chai tea spice cake. This is a cross between a bundt cake and a light sponge cake. It’s very soft and moist and simply bursting with aromatic warm spices and chai flavor! This would  be a show-topping Thanksgiving cake or Fall cake. 

How do you make homemade spice cake?

1. Make chai tea and keep aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
3. Mix in eggs, vanilla, ginger until smooth.
4. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices.
5. Dump dry mixture into the wet mixture, alternating with chai tea, until just combined.
6. Spread batter in two pans and bake.
7. When the cakes cool down, place one cake on a dish and top it off with cream cheese frosting, pistachios, caramel sauce.
8. Place the other cake on top and gently press it.
9. Top it off with frosting, caramel sauce, pistachios and you are done.

This is a creative twist on an old fashioned spice cake recipe/ traditional spice cake!

What icing is best for spice cake? (Spice cake frosting/icing)

In my opinion, cream cheese frosting pairs perfectly because it’s sweet and slightly tangy, which compliments the spices of the cake. However, some other choices would be maple frosting or American Buttercream Frosting or White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or Marshmallow Frosting or Seven Minute Frosting.

What is spice cake mix?

These boxes are easily available at grocery stores. It’s made up of flour, sugar and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.

Pumpkin spice cake recipe

Instead of altering the recipe below, I highly recommend my popular Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe.

Apple spice cake recipe

I highly recommend making this delicious Apple Pie Cake Recipe or this Easy Apple Cake Recipe with Cake Mix.

Applesauce spice cake recipe

Rather that modifying this recipe, I would suggest using my Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake Recipe, which is loaded with spices.

Spice cake mix recipe

You can make an easy version of this cake by using a store-bought spiced cake mix. Follow the directions on the box but replace water with rich chai tea and add 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder. Also, add 4 large eggs instead of 3 eggs and replace oil with the same quantity of melted butter.

Chai tea cake

Chai tea really elevates this cake because tea bags have so many spices that are infused into warm milk.However,  don’t use tea bags that have been sitting in your shelf for years. Get fresh tea bags! They have a stronger flavor and aroma.

Chocolate spice cake

There are a few ways to do this:

• You can stir in come mini chocolate chips in the cake batter.
• Instead of caramel sauce, you can drizzle chocolate sauce or ganache.
• Instead of cream cheese icing, you can use Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or Coconut Cream Chocolate Frosting.

Banana spice cake

Use this Banana Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe but add 1 tsp cinnamon powder, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder, 1/8 tsp clove powder.

Spice cake cupcakes

This recipe can easily be used to make cupcakes. Just make sure lower the baking time and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Spice bundt cake

Unfortunately, you cannot use this recipe to make a bund cake. Bundt cakes have a firm texture and this cake is more soft and airy and it would be hard to remove from the bundt pan after baking.

Tips for best spice cake recipe from scratch

• All ingredients must be at room temperature so that they blend together smoothly.
• Once your cakes have cooled down completely, I highly recommend covering them in saran wrap and refrigerating them overnight. That really seals in the moisture and it’s also easier to trim your cakes without a huge mess/crumbs.
• Pistachios complimented this cake very well but you can use any other type of nuts you like or even omit them, if you are not fond of them.
• The cake batter will be thick but don’t over-mix it because that will add a lot of gluten and make a very tough chewy cake.
• You must use all-purpose flour. No other flours have worked successfully in this recipe.

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Chai Tea Spice Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Decorating time: 15 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Quick, easy chai tea spice cake recipe with cream cheese frosting, caramel sauce, pistachios. Simple ingredients make a soft, moist Fall/Thanksgiving cake.

Yield: 8 Slices

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup Milk, Warm
• 8 Tea bags , Vanilla spiced chai tea flavor
• 1 cup Butter, Unsalted
• 1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
• 4 Eggs, Large
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp Ginger, Finely grated
• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder
• 1/4 tsp Cloves powder

Frosting, Filling and Decoration

• 2 cups Cream cheese frosting
• 1 cup Spiced caramel sauce
• 1/2 cup Pistachios

Instructions 

• Pour warm milk in a deep bowl and add all the tea bags. Let them sit for about 10 minutes. Then, squeeze out all the milk from the tea bags and discard them. Keep this chai milk aside for now and move on to the next step.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, while continuing to mix.
• Add vanilla extract and ground ginger and mix again.
• In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and all the spices.
• Dump this dry mixture into the wet mixture. Mix everything together while adding the chai milk until just combined. The batter will be thick and there might be some lumps but don't over mix!
• Pour this batter into two 8x2 greased/floured round cake pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow the cakes to cool down completely.
• Then, trim the edges and tops of each cake with a sharp knife.
• Place one cake on a cake stand and frost the top with frosting. I used a piping bag with Tip #1M.
• Spread some chopped pistachios and drizzle some caramel sauce.
• Then, place the other cake on top of this frosting layer.
• Pour some caramel sauce around the edges of the cake only.
• Finally, frost the top of this cake with frosting and toss some more pistachios. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

• Read all my notes above. 
• Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 867kcal, Carbohydrates: 123g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 146mg, Sodium: 409mg, Potassium: 358mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 75g, Vitamin A: 935IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 142mg, Iron: 2.4mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 867

Author: CakeWhiz

Until next time, tata my lovelies!