Chai Cake with Apples

If you love Chai Tea Lattes and sweet and crisp fall apples, this Chai Cake is for you! It's perfect for a crowd, and you can make it ahead of time. Celebrating the flavors of fall, the warm spices, tart apples and soft texture all come together beautifully to create a heavenly dessert.

Baking this Chai Cake will make your whole house take on the scent of warm and cozy fall deliciousness.

I've been making this cake a few times every fall for over a decade, and it's always a huge hit.

Aside from the amazing flavors, part of what makes this such an incredible cake is that it's a chai bundt cake.

The shape of the bundt pan enables a thin crust to form over a greater surface of the cake than regular pans. So almost every bite is a mixture of soft and crisp.

The Key Ingredients

• apples (see apple variety suggestions below) - I used a combination of Granny Smith and Fuji in this recipe. Granny Smiths are very tart, and Fujis are a bit sweeter. Both are quite crisp and hold their shape well in the cake. Select apples that are firm without bruising on the skin.
• Chai spice mix (ground cardamon, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and freshly ground black pepper) - There are hundreds of possibilities when it comes to chai spice blends. This is my favorite combination for baking, and if you've ever made my Chai Chocolate Chunk Cookies, you know why.

What are the best apples for baking?

The best apples for baking keep their shape and structure, without becoming mushy when heat is applied. Here are a few varieties that will do just that:

• Granny Smith
• Braeburn
• Honeycrisp
• Pink Lady
• Fuji

How to Make Chai Cake

(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a bundt pan with 2 teaspoons of melted butter.

- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix until well combined.

- Peel and slice the apples.

Recipe Tip: I really think this cake is best with thin apples slices -- I love those bites of apple. However, if you prefer, you can cut the apples into a small dice, which will make it a bit easier to mix the batter.

- In another bowl, add the eggs and vanilla with the remaining melted butter. Whisk until smooth. Add apple slices and mix just to incorporate them evenly. 



Recipe Tip: Be sure the melted butter has come to room temperature before adding the eggs so it doesn't harden.

- 

Add the apple mixture to the dry ingredients and fold to blend. This is a thick batter, and you might even need to use your hands to mix it, to incorporate the apples evenly. Don't worry if some of the slices break apart.

Recipe Tip: Since the chai cake batter is so thick, you'll need to use a small spreader to smooth out the top and gently press it into the grooves of the bundt pan. Don't press too hard or the chances of it sticking to the pan might increase.

- Add the batter into the buttered bundt pan.

- Bake in the 350°F preheated oven until the cake no longer jiggles, is lightly browned, and is beginning to crack on top.



- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then use a cooling rack to invert it, and place it on a foil-lined sheet pan.


- Make the glaze by melting butter in a small saucepan with water, powdered sugar and spices. Whisk until it's smooth.

- Drizzle the glaze over the cake, a little bit at a time. Let it seep into the cake and then add more. The cake must still be warm when you do this.

Recipe Tip: It might seem like there's too much glaze, but after each bit seeps in, drizzle more, until it's gone. You will have extra glaze on the foil below the cake -- you can use a rubber spatula to add this to the cake too, or serve it on the side.

- Slice and serve.

Variations

• Gluten-free? This recipe has also been tested with Cup4Cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour and it works very well.
• Chai Cake is also delicious with pears and persimmons.

Making it Ahead and Storage

You can make this cake ahead! Here are some options . . .

One to two days ahead. Once it's cooled do not glaze it. Rather, wrap it tightly and keep it at room temperature. Then, just before serving, warm the cake in a 350°F oven, and glaze it.

Four days and up to two weeks ahead. Once it's cooled do not glaze it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it. Remove it from the freezer the day before you want to serve it, keeping it out at room temperature. Warm the cake in a 350°F oven and glaze just before serving.

Leftovers can be stored for up to two months int he freezer. (Not that you'll have any!)

Note that the glaze doesn't sit on top of the cake -- as I mentioned, it seeps deep inside, making every bite even more scrumptious! And it doesn't really soften the outer, thin crust, so you still get all sorts of delicious textures.

Serving Suggestions

Chai Apple Cake would be as lovely for brunch as it would be after dinner for dessert. Just imagine it with a perfect cup of coffee!

And my favorite way to serve is warm, with a generous scoop of Cinnamon Ice Cream on top! It's amazingly delicious! Vanilla is great, too.

Other Perfect Cakes for the Fall Season

More Must-Try Desserts with Apple

• Red Wine Poached Crimson Gold Apples
• Ginger Applesauce Recipe From my Mom
• Cinnamon Apple Butter with Cardamom
• Hazelnut Honey Roasted Apples
• Spiced Apple Persimmon Cake

I hope you love it as much as I do!