Chai Spiced Tea Cake Food

SPICED VANILLA CHAI CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and cloves and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch or two 9-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a cooking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and fitting a wax or parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, you can grease and lightly flour the pans.
• Place the chai tea bag into a mason jar. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the whole milk, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil. Pour the boiling milk over the chai tea bag in the mason jar and let steep for 20 minutes before removing the tea bag. Allow the mixture to cool completely to room temperature before moving on.
• Sift the cake flour and then measure by spooning and leveling it in your measuring cup. Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, 4 teaspoons of the chai spice mix, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter for on high for two minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add in sugar and continue to mix on medium-high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more.
• With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the (room temperature!) chai milk mixture slowly and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps (without over-mixing). The batter will be slightly thick, but pourable.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans (no more than 2/3 of the way full) and bake for 30-35 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they're entirely room temperature before applying any frosting.
• With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it's creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
• Whisk 1 Tbsp of the Chai Spice Mix into the measured powdered sugar. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar mixture a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
• Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on medium-low for another two minutes until fully incorporated.
• Once the Vanilla Chai Cakes have cooled completely, fill and frost the layers with Vanilla Chai Buttercream. To create the design pictured, add crushed Speculoos Cookies to the sides of the cake by placing them into the palm of your hand and gently pressing them onto the buttercream finish. Then, fit one piping bag with Wilton Tip 4B and another piping bag with Wilton Tip 1M before filling each with Vanilla Chai Buttercream. Pipe rosettes and stars onto the top of the cake in a crescent moon shape, add some cinnamon sticks, and sprinkle more crushed Speculoos Cookies on top.

CHAI-SPICED COFFEE CAKE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the oats, brown sugar, chai, and salt. With your hands, rub the butter into the mixture until incorporated, pressing it into small clumps. Freeze until chilled, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the batter: Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners. In another medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 stick of butter with the granulated sugar and chai at medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.
• Using a 3- to 4-tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups; top with the chilled topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

CHAI SPICED TEA CAKES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, both extracts, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Beat in the flour. Stir in almonds. Using hands, roll dough into tablespoon sized balls. Place on a large baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until pale golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
• 2. Place 1 cup powdered sugar in a large bowl. Working in batches, gently coat the hot cookies in sugar. Cool the cookies on a rack. Roll again in sugar and serve.

CHAI SPICED TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix well until a smooth consistency.
• Sift together flour and spices. Add one third of dry mixture to eggs and butter.
• Add vanilla essence to milk, and add half to cake batter.
• Alternate dry and liquid ingredients, beating well between each addition.
• Place batter in a greased log pan.
• Bake 40 - 50 minutes, until a knife or skewer can be inserted and removed clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool before glazing.
• For Glaze: SIft icing sugar and cinnamon. Add milk and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add more milk if necessary to make a runny paste. Spread icing mixture over cake. Allow to set and serve.

CHAI-SPICED TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottoms and sides of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. In 2-cup measuring cup, pour boiling water over tea bags. Let steep 3 to 4 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add 1/2 cup water to tea to make 1 cup.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, eggs and tea mixture with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pans.
• In small bowl, mix sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; sprinkle over batter in pans. Pull knife through batter in swirl design.
• Bake as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch rounds. Cool 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes. On serving plates, place each cake, top side down; gently brush off excess crumbs. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle. Place in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut off tiny corner of bag. Drizzle frosting over cakes. Store loosely covered.