Aromatic, delicate and moist, this show-stopping chai cake features three richly spiced layers wrapped in a chai-infused boiled milk frosting.
Wrap your senses in sugar, spice and everything nice with this delicious chai layer cake.
Featuring three melt-in-your-mouth layers of cardamom, cinnamon, allspice and black pepper spiced cake wrapped in a chai tea-infused boiled milk frosting hug, this cake hits the cozy vibes just right.
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Ingredients
Below are tips and recommendations for key ingredients. A full list of ingredients and measurements is available in the recipe card.
- Butter: Provides fat, moisture, and a buttery flavor to both the frosting and the cake. Should be room temperature.
- Milk: I use whole milk as it's what we tend to have on hand, but 2% or even 1% would produce a similarly good cake. I would avoid skim.
- Eggs: Provide stability and richness. Should be room temperature to keep the batter from seizing.
- Baking powder: Helps the cake rise. We're using only baking powder to preserve the tangy flavors from the sour cream and to keep it from becoming overly browned (baking soda neutralizes acids and promotes browning).
- Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and pepper: These flavors complement and bolster the flavors of the chai tea.
- Chai tea: We'll be infusing the milk for both the cake and frosting with chai tea. I made this cake both with and without the tea-steeped milk, and it definitely wasn't as flavorful without it.
- All-purpose flour: Acts as a thickener in the frosting and provides structure for the cake.
- Sour cream: This is one of my favorite cake hacks as it adds moisture, a subtle tangy flavor and creates a tender, fine crumb.
How to make this chai cake
First, make the chai-infused milk.
Bring the milk to a near boil. Place six bags of chai tea into the hot milk and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
Second, make the boiled milk mixture.
Combine the flour and sugar in a saucepan and whisk in the milk.
Cook on medium until the mixture has a pudding-like consistency. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and transfer to a bowl.
Third, make the cake batter.
Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine. Alternating, add the dry ingredients in two parts and the wet ingredients in one.
Fourth, bake.
Evenly divide the batter between three 6" cake pans.
Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes.
Fifth, finish the frosting.
Whip the butter on high until light and fluffy. Add the boiled milk mixture and whip until smooth.
Finally, assemble the cake.
Spread ¼" of frosting over the first layer of cake. Top with the second and repeat.
Add the final layer and crumb coat.
Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
Top with fresh fruit, cake-safe flowers or nuts.
Expert tips
- Even layers: The easiest way to get even cake layers is to weigh your batter. For this recipe, you'll need approximately 305g of batter for each 6" layer.
- Chill your cake: Cool cake layers are easier to handle and cut/level.
- How to smoothly frost a cake: If you want that perfectly smooth finish, check out my guide to frosting cakes.
Working ahead
The chai-infused milk and boiled milk mixture for the frosting can be prepared the night before and kept in the refrigerator.
The cake layers can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 3-5 days or frozen for up to three months. Frozen layers can be frosted but shouldn't be leveled or divided.
Other frosting options
I love the way the chai-infused ermine frosting replicates the flavor of a milky chai tea. But if you're looking for something that's a little faster to make, you could use an American buttercream or a cream cheese frosting (like the one on this pineapple carrot cake).
Other tasty options could include a browned butter frosting (like the one on this caramel apple cake) or a coconut frosting (like the one on this mini carrot cake) would also be tasty.
The ermine frosting recipe in this post makes about 3 cups.
Serving suggestions
Temperature affects how our taste buds perceive food, which is why cold food tends to taste less sweet and flavorful. For this reason, I recommend serving this cake at room temperature (if you've refrigerated it for storage, an hour on the counter should be enough).
Storage
Once frosted, this cake should be kept in the refrigerator and is best when eaten within three days.
Once the cake has been cut, you can protect the exposed part by pressing a piece of plastic wrap or parchment into it.
More delicious spiced cakes
Looking for more spice-infused treats perfect for fall and winter? Here are a few more of my favorites:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I regularly update these posts and feedback from wonderful readers like you helps me improve them.
Recipe
Chai Cake with Boiled Milk Frosting
Aromatic, delicate and moist, this show-stopping chai layer cake features three richly spiced layers of cake wrapped in a chai tea-infused boiled milk frosting.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
Chai infused milk:
- 6 bags of chai tea
- 1 ½ cup milk
Chai cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup chai infused milk
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Boiled milk frosting
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chai infused milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
Chai milk:
- In a saucepan, bring the milk to a near boil.
- Remove from heat and place the teabags in the hot milk. Allow to steep for 15 minutes.
Boiled milk mixture for frosting:
- Combine the sugar and flour in a saucepan and, whisking continuously, add one cup of the chai milk.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency (about 10 minutes).
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool to approximately room temperature.
Chai cake:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low until just combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and pepper) and the wet ingredients (vanilla, sour cream, milk) in another.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in one (dry, wet, dry). Beat until just combined.
- Evenly divide the batter between three greased, parchment paper-lined 6" round cake pans.
- Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only baked crumbs.
- Once the pans are cool enough to handle, turn the cakes out, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until cold.
Boiled milk frosting:
- Using the whisk attachment, whip the butter on high until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
- Reduce the mixer to low-medium and slowly add the cooled boiled milk mixture one tablespoon at a time, occasionally scraping down the sides.
- Increase the mixer to high and whip until smooth and airy.
Assembly:
- Level the layers of cake (if necessary). Place the first layer on a flat plate and cover with ¼" of frosting.
- Top with the second layer of cake and repeat.
- Top with the final layer, spread a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake and refrigerate until set (about 15 minutes).
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting and top with fruit, nuts and/or cake-safe flowers.
Notes
-
- Even layers: The easiest way to get even cake layers is to weigh your batter. For this recipe, you'll need approximately 305g of batter for each 6" layer.
- Chill your cake: Cool cake layers are easier to handle and cut/level.
- How to smoothly frost a cake: If you want that perfectly smooth finish, check out my guide to frosting cakes.
- Storage: Once frosted, this cake should be kept in the refrigerator and is best when eaten within three days.
Sue says
Wow! What an intriguing, complex set of flavors. It's beautiful and I will need to check this out!
Jim says
very easy to follow recipe and I liked trying a new kind of frosting - not grainy like American buttercream and a LOT easier to get right than Italian/French.
I've already been asked to make it again.
question: do you use weights (metric) or volume (American) when you yourself cook? I usually uses metric but didn't see that option so I made it with volume/American and it still came out perfectly.
Claire says
Hi Jim! I hear ya! Most of my readership is American so I typically write my recipes in volume measurements (specifically cups). If you'd prefer them by weight, there's a unit toggle button (the "M" next to "unit") under the ingredient heading in the recipe card that will convert them to metric weights.