Chai Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake takes me straight to cozy afternoons, wrapped in a blanket with a steaming mug of chai. It’s like a warm hug from the inside out—rich with spices, tender with buttermilk, and topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting. Share it with someone you love and turn any day into something special.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
For the Chai Cake:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cloves
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
For the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
1¼ cups unsalted butter
8 oz cream cheese, cold
2 cups powdered sugar
For the Chai Milk Soak:
½ cup whole milk
2 chai teabags
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prep the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9-inch cake pan.
Whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cream butter and both sugars until light. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla.
Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing until just combined.
Pour into pan and bake for 30–35 minutes. Cool completely.
Make Chai Soak: Warm milk with teabags. Let steep 10 mins. Stir in condensed milk and vanilla. Set aside.
Frosting: Brown butter and let cool. Beat with cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy.
Assemble: Poke cooled cake, drizzle chai soak evenly. Spread frosting generously.
Notes
Let the aroma of chai and browned butter wrap your home in comfort—this cake is more than dessert; it’s an experience.
Nutrition
- Calories: 420
- Fat: 24g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Protein: 5g