Chai masala cake is a tender soft spiced cake made with flour, sugar, oil, eggs and a spiced chai streusel topping. The cake is flavoured with a chai masala streusel topping which creates a lovely chai aroma in the cake and is perfect to serve with your cup of tea. You can use homemade masala tea spice mix.
Chai Masala Cake Recipe
I love baking easy, soft, plain, not too sweet cakes which pairs beautifully with a cup of chai or coffee. I equally love cream cakes, but I don’t crave for it often. There is something special about these simple cakes.
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I wanted to make chai masala cake for a very long time. I had all the ingredients except chai masala powder. In fact you can make your own chai masala. But I was so lazy to make a batch. So last week when I was shopping I picked a packet baked this cake. The chai masala gave a lovely aroma to the cakes and my entire house smelled so heavenly.
About Chai Masala Cake Recipe
Chai Masala cake is also known as masala tea cake, spiced chai masala cake. This soft chai cake is made with basic ingredients like flour, sugar, oil, eggs with chai masala added for flavour. The special part of this recipe is the streusel topping. It is made with oil, flour, sugar, cashew and chai masala powder.
The streusel is sprinkled in between the batter and over the cake before baking. As it bakes, the topping forms a crumbly layer that gives the cake a little crunch.
I am usually more of a coffee person than a tea person, but this recipe caught my attention. I have already shared a streusel coffee cake on my blog, so I thought it would be interesting to make a tea flavoured version.
The cake turned out super good and is perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
Similar Recipes
The one thing which I modified in this recipe is the butter, I substituted it with oil, still the cake turned out so soft and moist. One main ingredient for the soft cake is the buttermilk. It made the cake so soft and tender.
The entire batch disappeared the same day itself. It was that good. Everyone loved it so much. The cashews which we add in the topping gave a lovely crunch to the cakes and made it so special. So try this cake and let me know how it turned out.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour : I used plain flour for the batter and also in streusel. You can substitute with whole wheat flour but the texture will be slightly different.
- Sugar : I used granulated sugar in cake batter and also streusel. For streusel you can use brown sugar too.
- Vanilla extract : use pure vanilla for flavour.
- Eggs : you need eggs for binding the cake. There is no substitute for egg in this recipe.
- Buttermilk – buttermilk makes the cake tender. For homemade buttermilk, mix milk with 2 teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Oil : You can use any neutral flavoured oil of your choice. You can use melted butter instead of oil.
- Leavening agent : Baking powder & baking soda are used to help the cake rise.
- Chai masala powder : Chai masala powder adds flavour. You can use homemade chai masala or store bought chai masala.
- Cashew : chopped cashews are used for the crumble topping. You can use any nuts of choice.
Step by Step Pictures
Pre-prep
1)Preheat the oven to 180 Degree C (360 degree F). Start by preparing the loaf pan for baking. Take the loaf and butter or grease with oil generously, dust it with flour all over the loaf pan so the flour is coated all over the pan and tap off the excess . Set it aside till use.
Streusel Topping
2)Start by making the streusel topping. Take all the ingredients for streusel topping in a bowl. Here I used oil for streusel, you can use melted butter instead of oil for flavour.
4)Now mix it through till it resembles crumble. Set it aside till use.
Dry Ingredients
5)Now sift the dry ingredients together. Take flour in a sifter. Add in baking powder.
6)Add in baking soda.
7) Sieve them together. Set them aside till use.
Make Cake Batter
8)Now lets make the batter. Take oil, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and mix them well.
9)Add in eggs.
10)Mix well until it is combined.
11)Now add in half of the sifted dry ingredients and fold them gently.
12)Add in the buttermilk and mix gently.
13)Now add in the remaining flour mixture.
14)Fold well until it forms into a smooth batter.
Baking Chai Cake
15)Now take the loaf pan. Add half of the batter into the loaf pan.
16)Top off with ¾ of the streusel topping.
17)Cover with the remaining batter.
18) Top off with the remaining streusel topping.
19)Place this into the oven. Bake it preheated oven for 40 to 45 mins till it is completely baked. Insert a skewer into the cake, if the tooth pick comes out clean then it is baked.
20)Remove the cake from oven. Allow the cake to cool down for 15 minutes in the pan. Now Invert the cake to a wire rack and allow it to cool down completely. Slice and serve with a cup of chai.
Expert Tips
Use homemade – If possible, make homemade chai masala as it gives stronger aroma than store bought spice powder. Don’t add too much chai masala, as it can make the cake taste bitter or too strong.
Substitute – Instead of milk, you can also add strong brewed tea to make the batter. It enhances the chai flavour. You can add any chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, pistachios in the streusal.
Toast cashews – Lightly toast the cashews and use them in making streusel. This gives the topping a better crunch and flavour.
Storage – Store the chai masala cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. You can refrigerate the cake in a container for 5 days. Warm the slices slightly before serving.
Serving – Serve this chai masala cake warm with a hot cup of ginger tea, regular milk or black coffee. It is a great choice for an evening snack or tea time treat.
FAQ
Q. Can I use homemade chai masala for this cake ?
Yes, homemade chai masala works perfectly for this recipe. You can prepare it by grinding whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom, dry ginger and nutmeg into a fine powder.
Q. Why is my streusel not crumbly ?
The mixture should have a texture similar to wet sand with small crumbs. If it looks too wet, add a little flour and mix until you get a crumbly texture.
Q. How do I know when the chai masala cake is done ?
Insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Avoid overbaking, as it can make the cake dry.
📖 Get Recipe
Spiced Chai Cake Recipe (Masala Tea Cake)
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Spiced Chai Cake Recipe (Masala Tea Cake)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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