Plum Forest Masala Chai Vanilla Tea Cake

A tender, warmly spiced cake inspired by homemade chai, quiet mornings, and the joy of sharing something beautiful.

This cake is made with oil and sour cream, which keeps it moist and soft. The spices are bloomed into the wet ingredients for a fuller chai flavor, and the batter is simple enough that students do not need advanced baking skills.

Yield

One 9-inch round cake or one 8-inch square cake
Serves 8–10

Cake Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
½ cup strong brewed black tea or chai tea, cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional Vanilla Chai Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons milk or cooled chai tea
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
Tiny pinch of cardamom, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or 8-inch square pan. For extra easy release, line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, oil, sour cream, brewed tea, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk gently just until combined. Do not overmix. The batter should look smooth and pourable, but not thin like water.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 28–34 minutes, or until the center springs back lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Then turn it out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely before glazing.
To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, milk or chai tea, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom until smooth. Start with less liquid and add more only as needed. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Success Tips

Use room temperature eggs and sour cream so the batter mixes smoothly.

Do not overmix after adding the flour. Whisk only until no dry streaks remain.

Make sure the brewed tea is cooled before adding it, so it does not scramble the eggs or warm the batter too much.

Check the cake at 28 minutes. It is better to test early than overbake.

Let the cake cool before glazing, or the glaze will melt into the cake instead of sitting beautifully on top.

Already a member/subscriber - Click image below to access

If not Start Here and Welcome to Plum Forest

Weekly Whimsy

Creative Community