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Chai Cake with Spiced Pastry Cream and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

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This Chai Cake is a fragrant, spiced dessert featuring layers of chai-infused pastry cream and a soft, moist cake batter delicately flavored with warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves. The cake is topped with a creamy chai-flavored cream cheese frosting and dusted with chai spice powder for the perfect balance of sweet and spicy in every bite.

Ingredients

Chai Spice Powder

  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp ground black pepper (optional)

Chai Pastry Cream

  • 1¼ cup whole milk (300 ml)
  • 3 chai tea bags
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • ½ tsp chai spice powder (from above mix)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake Batter

  • ½ cup whole milk (120 ml, optionally infused with 2 chai tea bags)
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour (160 grams)
  • 2 tsp chai powder (from above mix)
  • 1¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature, 113 grams)
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar (73 grams)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ tbsp vanilla extract

Chai Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup cream cheese (113 grams)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (56 grams)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp chai spice powder (from above mix)

Instructions

  1. Make Chai Spice Powder: Combine cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix until well blended. This spice mix will be used throughout the recipe.
  2. Prepare Chai Pastry Cream: Heat 1¼ cups milk in a saucepan over medium heat until just bubbling, then remove from heat. Add 3 chai tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and ½ tsp chai spice powder until pale. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to temper the eggs. Return the mixture to the pan through a strainer and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the custard thickens like pudding. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  3. Infuse Milk for Cake Batter: Optionally infuse ½ cup milk with 2 chai tea bags over medium heat. Discard tea bags and measure out ⅓ cup milk to use in batter either way. Let it cool.
  4. Preheat Oven and Prepare Cake Pan: Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Line and oil an 8- or 9-inch springform cake pan (2.5 inches deep if 8-inch).
  5. Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tsp chai spice powder in a medium bowl; set aside.
  6. Make Cake Batter: Beat butter at medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar, beat until light and fluffy (approx. 2 minutes), scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs one at a time, mixing fully before adding the next. Mix in vanilla extract. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low. Pour cooled chai milk and mix. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix gently on low, folding the batter to avoid overmixing.
  7. Bake Cake: Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 35-40 minutes until the cake springs back when pressed and a toothpick comes out clean. Cover with aluminum foil if browning too fast. Cool completely after baking.
  8. Assemble Cake with Pastry Cream: Use a dowel or similar tool to poke holes all over the cooled cake. Fill a piping bag with chilled chai pastry cream and pipe it into the holes.
  9. Make Chai Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter for 45 seconds until smooth. Add powdered sugar and 1 tsp chai spice powder, mix on low until blended, then beat at medium speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute until fluffy. Adjust thickness by adding milk or powdered sugar as needed.
  10. Frost and Finish Cake: Spread the frosting evenly over the cake. Sprinkle remaining chai spice powder on top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld and the frosting to set.

Notes

  • The chai spice powder can be made ahead and stored for use in multiple parts of the recipe.
  • The chai pastry cream can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
  • Infusing milk with chai tea bags for the batter adds extra flavor but can be skipped by using plain milk.
  • Be sure to temper the eggs carefully when making the pastry cream to avoid curdling.
  • Use a light hand when mixing the batter at the final stage to keep the cake moist and tender.
  • Cover the cake with foil during baking if the top browns too quickly to prevent burning.
  • Let the cake fully cool before assembling and frosting to prevent melting or sliding layers.
  • Refrigerating the cake after frosting helps the cream cheese frosting set perfectly.

Find it online: https://dishcooks.com/chai-cake-with-spiced-pastry-cream-and-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/