Scale:
Ingredients
for the cake
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
for the frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup blackberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
- 2 tablespoons candied ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- edible gold leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 6-inch cake pans* with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating between additions. Continue to beat until batter forms a pale yellow color. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Alternate folding in the flour mixture and the buttermilk, mixing only until combined.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and whip to combine, about 1 minute more.
- Place the first cake on a plate, then top with a large dollop of frosting. Layer the second and third layers, frosting in between each. Finish with frosting the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting. I used a cake scraper to give my cake that unfinished, naked look!
- Last, top your cake with garnishes. I used blackberries, chopped pistachios, candied ginger, cinnamon sticks, black sesame seeds, and edible gold leaves!
Notes
*you can also use two 8-inch cake pans.
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
I hardly ever leave reviews for recipes, but this one is worth writing about. I made this cake for about 17 guests, they all raved about the cake. It is perfectly moist and has the perfect amount of flavor. Typically with chai spice cakes and cupcakes, the spice is too mellow, however, this recipe is the perfect combination of these warming spices. 10/10 – go make this for your family and bask in all the compliments you will receive.
★★★★★
Hi Kat! You are so kind to leave this review! You made my whole week 🙂
Hello, Im hoping to make this cake this weeknd. But I’m wondering if anyone has made a 3 layer 8 in cake with it. Would I just double the recipe? Or would it be best to just cut my 2 8in cakes in half for a better stacking look of 4?
Hi Kristi! You can times the recipe by 1.5 to make 3 8 inch cakes 🙂
Hello! I’m planning to use this recipe in a few days, but I was going to do 6.5, 8 and 10 inch cakes so I’m wondering if doing an additional one third of the cake recipe will be enough? I was also wondering if the cakes can stay in the fridge wrapped up and unfrosted for two nights or if they’ll dry out by then? Thanks!
Hi, if I wanted to make this cake less dense and more fluffy could I take out about a half cup of the flour? Or would that mess with the proportions too much?
Hi Sadi! I’ve never tried it so I can’t guarantee that it will work. You could also try beating the butter with the whisk attachment instead to get it super fluffy!
Hi there! I’ve made this as a cake before and it’s excellent. I’m wondering what baking time you would recommend for cupcakes? I’m hoping to bake these for a coworker’s birthday. 🙂
★★★★★