This Chai Cake is so moist and delicious! It’s loaded with your favorite fall spices and topped with a cream cheese frosting. The perfect treat to serve on an Autumn day!

Chai Cake with Warming Spices and Special Chai Milk Tea

There’s something deeply comforting about chai — the swirl of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves in warm milk feels like an instant hug. This cake takes all those cozy spices and bakes them into something tender and fragrant. It’s made extra special with a homemade chai milk tea that infuses the batter, giving every bite that perfect balance of spice, sweetness, and warmth.

I love serving this cake on crisp mornings or slow afternoons, when the house smells of vanilla and spice and there’s a cup of tea steaming nearby. It’s the kind of dessert that doesn’t need frosting (though a light glaze or dusting of powdered sugar is lovely), and it somehow tastes even better the next day.

Why You’ll Love This Chai Cake

• Warming spices: A blend of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves gives this cake its signature chai flavor.
• Infused milk tea: Steeping black tea bags with the spices in warm milk adds depth and aroma that make this cake stand out.
• Moist and tender crumb: The chai milk keeps it soft and flavorful for days.
• Cozy, any-time treat: Perfect for brunch, afternoon tea, or a simple fall dessert.

The Secret: Chai Milk Tea

Instead of just adding dry spices, this recipe uses a brewed chai milk tea. You’ll warm milk with tea bags and whole spices (or ground if that’s what you have), let it steep, and then use that infused milk in the cake batter. It’s subtle but transformative — you can taste the comfort in every bite.

Here are a few more cakes to try:

Extra Moist Chocolate Cake, My Aunt’s Banana Cake, Apple Spice Cake

Chai Cake with Fall Spices

Print

A deliciously moist blend of chai flavor and warming spices!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice*
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 8 tbsp soft butter
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• For the cream cheese frosting: 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1 cup softened butter, 1 2/3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whip until combined and there are no lumps.
• Chai Milk: 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup milk, 2 Chai tea bags.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to  350°F. Grease a 9×9 inch light metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper.

  • Add dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt) to a medium size bowl. Whisk to combine.
  • In another bowl, cream softened butter, granulated sugar, and maple syrup.
  • Add eggs and vanilla. Blend until ingredients are incorporated.
  • Add buttermilk and dry ingredients on low speed until combined.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until inserted tooth pick comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool on wire wrack for about 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the Chai Milk. Seep 2 chai tea bags in 1/2 cup milk. About 10 min. Remove from stove top and allow to cool. Add 1/2 cup condensed milk, stir to combine.
  • Make frosting: Beat softened butter and cream cheese. Sift powdered sugar into butter, cheese mixture. Add vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy.
  • Remove cake from pan. Gently cut of some of the cake top to allow chai milk to infuse into the cake. Pour about half the milk over the cake and allow to soak in.
  • Frost the cake and then sprinkle with cinnamon.

5.

Notes

This cake can be enjoyed for about three days if covered and left in the refrigerator.