Drift into a relaxing afternoon with the scent of warm baked spices filling the kitchen as you prepare this Chai Latte Tea Cake. Serve with your feet up and immerse yourself in the moment, reminiscing of far-off lands.
Serves 12.
Recipe created by Rekha Khurmi, owner of CakeReks.
Ingredients
- 360ml Full Fat Milk
- 4 x Twinings Chai Tea Latte or Choc Chai Tea Latte Sachets
- 280g Plain Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 170g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 200g White Granulated Sugar
- 110g Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 240ml Chai Tea Milk (prepared earlier)
For the Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
- 170g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 275g Pure Icing Sugar (sifted)
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 230g Cream Cheese (fridge cold)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
To Decorate: Ground Cinnamon and Star Anise
Method
Prepare Chai Milk Infusion: Place Milk and contents of Twining Tea Sachets into a small pan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let it cool. (Top tip: this cake words perfectly with either Twinings Chai Tea Latte or Twinings Choc Chai Tea Latte.)
Prepare Oven and Cake Tins: Preheat oven to 160c Fan Forced. Grease and line the bottom of 2 x 8” cake tins with greaseproof paper. Dust the sides of the tins with a little plain flour.
Mix Dry Ingredients: Sift Plain Flour, Baking Powder and Salt into a medium bowl and leave to one side.
Cream Butter and Sugars: Place room temperature Butter, Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar into a large bowl. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whisk on medium to high speed until pale and fluffy. If your butter is too stiff, scoop out a couple of spoonfuls and place in the microwave for 5 seconds. Return the softened butter back to the mixing bowl and continue to whisk.
Add Eggs and Vanilla: Reduce speed and add Eggs one at a time incorporating well after each addition. Add Vanilla and whisk. At this point the mixture should be smooth and lump free.
Add Flour and Chai Tea Milk: Measure out 240ml of the pre prepared Chai Tea Milk. Alternate adding Flour and Chai Tea Milk in stages, 3 additions of flour and 2 additions of milk starting and ending with flour. Incorporate fully after each addition.
Fill Cake Pans: Divide the cake mix evenly between two pans, level the surface and place in the oven for 30-35 mins, until a bamboo skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Cool Cakes: Place cake tins on a wire rack to cool for 10 mins, then remove cakes from each tin and let cool completely before frosting.
Make Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting: Place room temperature Butter in a large bowl and using an electric hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip the butter until it is pale and fluffy. On a slow speed, add sifted Icing Sugar in stages until well incorporated. Whisk in Ground Ginger. Remove Cream Cheese from the fridge, cut into cubes and add one cube at a time while whisking until no lumps remain. Add Salt and a final whisk. Over-whisking can slacken the frosting, if this happens you can add 1 Tablespoon at a time of Cornflour until the desired consistency is reached.
Assemble and Decorate: Once thoroughly cooled place one cake layer onto your cake plate or stand and if needed, level the top of the cake by cutting off the domed top. Place two large spoonfuls of cream cheese frosting and smooth to level. Place the second cake layer on top and decorate with remaining cream cheese. We went for a piled high top which you can achieve by swirling the cream cheese with a spoon for a fluffy effect or get creative and decorate the sides or get those piping tips out and decorate as you desire! Sprinkle with a dusting of ground cinnamon and a few whole Star Anise.
Recipe by Rekha Khurmi, owner of CakeReks.