- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 16 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 16 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
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!
Keywords: chai cake, chai spice cake
Notes
*you can also use two 8-inch cake pans.
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Just made this in a 9×13. Baked perfectly in 40 minutes. I used cup-for-cup gluten-free flour and whisked/stirred everything by hand. My whole apartment smells amazing! I’m planning a whipped raspberry-mascarpone topping with a honey drizzle.
★★★★★
Just tried, it great texture! Wonder if dark brown sugar would work as variation.
Absolutely! Your cake will have a deeper molasses flavor, but it will be super delicious!
Sarah, I love you and your recipes, but I’m wondering if I could ask a tiny favor! Every time I make one, I need to convert the entire recipe to grams and it’s killing me – is there any chance that you might consider adding the weight, maybe in parentheses, next to your measurements? I don’t want to get caught up in the big baking world drama of people arguing about weight vs. volume, not at all my intention! I’d just love to keep making your wonderful recipes and with a baby next to me I just don’t have the time to bake and convert first every time. Thanks for at least considering!
Hi Amanda! I totally hear you on this and it is certainly something we’ve been considering! Unfortunately all of the existing recipes on the site have not been tested by weight, but it is something I would love to do in the future! In the meantime, you should be able to convert the recipes to grams within the recipe card by just switching to metric, but just know that I haven’t personally tested them with those, it’s just converting it!
Could i make this in a 9×13 baking pan instead of a layer cake? If so, what revisions on temp/time? Thanks!
Absolutely! I’ve never personally tried it, but the cake recipe as stated should fit perfectly in a 9 x 13. I would guess it would cooke for about 45 minutes at 350F, but just keep an eye on it to make sure–it might be a bit less or more!
This CAKE OMG. I made mine with a whipped cream frosting (I used Sally’s Baking ‘Not-So-Sweet Whipped Frosting’) and added persimmon jam between the two cake layers and it was a hit. Honestly, though, the chai cake is a star on its own. My family snuck some of the pieces I trimmed off the top and each one of them said “oh my god.”
★★★★★