This spiced chai cake is a layer cake frosted and filled with rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Instead of tea, the cake is made with masala chai spices for a concentrated, perfectly spiced flavor. Its cozy, warm flavors make it the perfect cake for Fall.
Chai lovers, I present to you a cup of chai in cake form! This chai cake is packed with cozy spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger, capturing all the warmth and comfort of a freshly brewed chai latte.
Topped with a luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting, each bite is creamy, spiced perfection that will make any chai fan swoon.
If you like tea desserts, try this dirty chai cake, earl grey pie, or pumpkin chai snack cake! For more spiced cake recipes, I recommend caramel apple crumb cake, apple carrot cake, or pumpkin spice cupcakes!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft and moist chai cake layers- Using butter and oil makes the cake soft and tender yet moist! A blend of spices including cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves flavors the cake.
- Cinnamon cream cheese frosting- Like in this gingerbread layer cake, I love how the tangy cream cheese cuts through chai flavors. The frosting is super rich and creamy too.
- Easy to make- There's no milk soak or any extra steps to make this cake. All you have to do is mix up the ingredients for the cake and frosting, assemble, and serve!
Key Ingredients
- Unsalted butter and oil- I love making cakes with butter and oil. The butter makes the cake rich and flavorful while oil keeps it moist. Make sure to use room temperature butter that's easy to cream. I used vegetable oil, but any neutral tasting oil works!
- Granulated sugar- White sugar sweetens the cake and also helps hold on to moisture.
- Buttermilk- This is possibly my favorite ingredient to use in cakes. Buttermilk is very acidic, and that acid helps cut the gluten strands that form when mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. This creates a tender, soft crumb!
- All purpose flour- Makes up the structure of the cake. Measure it in grams with a kitchen scale for the best results since it's easy to overmeasure with a measuring cup.
- Spices- While this cake doesn't have any actual black tea, it has lots of aromatic spices. There's ground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and black pepper. Grinding whole spices is best, but pre-ground will do. Use individual spices instead of a chai spice mix because it's more accurate.
- Cream cheese- For the frosting, make sure to use full-fat softened cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread in a tub is too runny. Philadelphia Cream Cheese tastes the best, but these days I'm grabbing whatever is on sale!
Substitutions and Variations
- Buttermilk substitutes- I've also made this cake with sour cream and plain Greek yogurt instead, and it turns out perfectly.
- Add filling- Adding a filling like caramel ganache, pastry cream, custard, or salted caramel sauce between the cake layers is extra decadent.
- Different frosting- Instead of cinnamon frosting, this cake would be delicious frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting, caramel buttercream, chai buttercream, pumpkin cream cheese frosting, or maple buttercream frosting.
How to Make It
Step 1: Cream the butter and oil on medium speed until combined.
Step 2: Add the sugar and cream everything together until fluffy and pearly white.
Step 3: Mix in the eggs on low speed one at a time and add in the vanilla. Then stream in the buttermilk.
Step 4: Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed. Stop the mixer when there are a few dry streaks of flour remaining and gently fold with a rubber spatula until they disappear. This prevents overmixing!
Step 5: Evenly distribute the cake batter into 3 8-inch metal cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 7: For the frosting, beat softened cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until creamy.
Step 8: Mix in powdered sugar on low speed 1 cup at a time until combined. Then add the vanilla and cinnamon.
Assembling the Cake
Step 9: Level off the tops if needed. The cakes bake up pretty flat but might have a small dome you can gently trim off with a serrated knife.
Spread a teaspoon of frosting on the center of a cake stand, then place a cake layer on it. Spread 1 cup of frosting into an even layer.
Step 10: Add the second cake layer on top with the flat side up. Use an offset spatula to spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. This is called a "crumb coat" and helps lock in loose crumbs.
Step 11: Chill the cake until the crumb coat is dry. Then add a thick final layer of frosting, spreading it from top to bottom. Dust with cinnamon and garnish with cinnamon sticks and star anise. Slice and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature dairy ingredients and eggs are easier to mix than cold ones, leading to a smooth, even batter. Pull everything out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Don't overmix. Your dry ingredients need to be just barely mixed in, so combine on low speed until the dry streaks just disappear. Overmixing them makes more gluten develop, creating a tough cake.
- Don't overbake. I take cakes out of the oven when the toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached. You can also check for doneness by gently pressing the top of the cake with your finger. If it springs back into place, it's ready!
- Cool the cake. If you try to stack and frost the cake while the layers are even slightly warm, the frosting will melt off.
Storage Instructions
Store your leftover chai spice cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For the whole cake, a large container like a cake carrier works best. Cover the cut section with extra frosting to keep it from drying out.
You can also put individual slices in Ziplock bags for easy storage, but they will dry out faster than storing the cake whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, I don't recommend using tea instead of chai spice. Tea bags have a milder taste because the spices are diluted in tea leaves and are meant to be steeped rather than baked. Using just the spices gives a concentrated, bold flavor that holds up well during baking.
Yes, you can absolutely make chai cake into cupcakes! Prepare the batter as directed and fill cupcake liners about โ full. Bake at the same temperature, but reduce the baking time to 18-22 minutes, checking with a toothpick for doneness. Cupcakes bake faster than a full cake, so keep an eye on them to avoid overbaking.
Yes, the cake can be made a day or two ahead. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then store in the fridge or freeze until you're ready to frost or serve.
More Cake Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Chai Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
Use the buttons below to toggle between grams and cups!
Ingredients
Chai Cake
- 114 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 114 grams oil vegetable or canola oil
- 300 grams granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 260 grams buttermilk room temperature
- 300 grams all purpose flour
- 2 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cardamom
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- ยฝ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ยผ teaspoon allspice
- ยผ teaspoon ground cloves
- โ teaspoon ground black pepper
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 227 grams full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 114 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 480 grams powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
Chai Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Line 2 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and oil on medium speed until combined. A few lumps are ok.114 grams unsalted butter, 114 grams oil
- Add sugar and cream everything together for 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed until fluffy and pearly white.300 grams granulated sugar
- Mix in the eggs on low speed one at a time, then add the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then stream in the buttermilk on medium speed until combined.3 large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 260 grams buttermilk
- Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices on low speed. Stop the mixer when there are a few streaks of flour remaining and gently fold with a rubber spatula until they disappear.300 grams all purpose flour, 2 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, ยฝ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon cardamom, 2 teaspoon ground ginger, ยฝ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ยผ teaspoon allspice, ยผ teaspoon ground cloves, โ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Evenly distribute the cake batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Carefully remove the cakes from the oven and let cool in their pans for about 10 minutes. Flip on a wire rack and let cool completely.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add softened cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes until creamy.114 grams unsalted butter, 227 grams full-fat cream cheese
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually mix in powdered sugar on low speed 1 cup at a time. Add the vanilla and cinnamon, mixing on medium speed until fluffy.480 grams powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Assembly
- Level off the tops if needed with a serrated knife. Spread a teaspoon of frosting on the center of your cake board or stand, then place a cake layer on it.
- Spread about 1 cup of frosting on top into an even layer.
- Add the second cake layer on top upside down with the flat side facing up. Apply a thin coat of frosting (or crumb coat) all over the top and sides of the cake.
- Chill the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes or until the frosting is dry to the touch. Then add a thick final layer of frosting.
- Dust the cake with cinnamon and garnish with cinnamon sticks and star anise. Slice and enjoy!
Nukaiya
Hey! I was wanting to make sure the black tea flavor ends up in the cake. Do you think it would be too crazy to steep some chai in the buttermilk beforehand?
Megan Weimer
You could definitely try it! I just wouldn't heat the buttermilk because it might curdle. Let me know how it turns out.
Ed
Hello! Love it! โค๏ธ Can I make this Cake as a Pancake? Thanks!!
Megan Weimer
Unfortunately no!
Jennifer
Hello! This cake sounds really good. I was wondering if I can bake it as a sheet cake. If so are there adjustments I need to be aware of.
Thank you.
Megan Weimer
It should work as a 9x13" sheet cake!
Isabelle
Hi! I want to make this just as a 2 layer cake; would that be the 0.5x adjustment or how would you adjust?
Megan Weimer
Yes, I would multiply the recipe x1.5!
kellyn
I don't see where I can toggle between grams and cups?
Megan Weimer
It should be in the recipe card now!
Savannah
I almost never leave reviews, but I made this for my friend's wedding and I got SO much positive feedback. Everyone was talking about how moist and flavorful it was. And truly, it was! This recipe does not skimp on the spices. It's a lovely cake, and I'm about to make it for a third special event! It's just that good!
Megan Weimer
This means so much to me!! Never thought people would be making my recipes for WEDDINGS. I'm so glad you enjoyed.