Chai Cardamom Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Boring spice cake gets a revampiing with this Cardamom Chai Spice Cake thanks to the addition of Chai-infused milk in the batter!
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
Chai Cardamom Cake
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 4 Chai Tea Bags (or 2 ½ tbsp loose leaf chai)
- 540 g (18.6 oz) All Purpose Flour, (about 4 ½ cups measured properly)
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Table Salt
- 2 ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Cardamom
- 1½ tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Allspice
- 1 tsp Cloves
- 3 cups White Sugar
- 6 Large Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cup Vegetable Oil
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 6-7 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream, plus more if needed
Instructions
Making the Chai Cardamom Cake Layers
- Add milk to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer then immediately remove from heat. Place the tea bags into the milk and gently stir. Place a piece of plastic over the surface of the milk and place into the fridge to cool and steep for about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and prepare three 8” springform cake pans with oil and parchment rounds. In a large sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, and cloves, then whisk together to combine.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high for around 5 minutes, the mixture should look thick, fluffy, and be tripled in volume. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then slowly drizzle in the oil. After all the oil has been added, beat for an additional minute.
- On low, add the dry mixture to the stand mixer in 3 additions, alternating in between with the tea-infused milk, mixing until just combined and smooth. Add the batter evenly to the cake pans, then bake in the oven for around 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before stacking and frosting.
Making the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer, fitted with the whip attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add in the confectioners sugar in small additions, beating on low between each addition, scraping at the sides between. After all the sugar has been added, add in the vanilla, salt, and heavy cream, and beat on low to combine. Turn stand mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes. The frosting should look creamy and light, and should be very easy to work with.
Frosting & Finishing the Cake
- Level off each of the cake layers to remove any doming from the cakes.
- Place one cake layer onto your serving plate or onto a cardboard cake circle. Spread an even layer of frosting, about ½” - 1" thick, across the top of the layer.
- Add the second layer on top, then repeat step 2.
- Add the final layer onto the cake, then frost the outside and top with the remaining frosting. Decorate the top with anything you’d like!
Notes
† to measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then level off with a straight edge. Do not pack the flour into the cup, or scoop with the measuring cup straight from the bag/container. Alternatively, weigh the flour (1 cup = 120g or 4oz)