This vanilla chai cake is the best chai spice bundt cake recipe! It's a moist, old fashioned spice bundt cake recipe with sour cream, topped with the best brown butter cream cheese icing! And you can use this chai pound cake base to make awesome variations on easy chai cake recipes, like dirty chai cake or chocolate chai cake!
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And if you like this easy chai cake, you'll love my Gluten Free Olive Oil Cake, my White Forest Cake, and my Cheesecake Mousse Cups!
Chai Spice Bundt Cake Recipe
If you love the flavors of a chai latte, this chai bundt spice cake recipe is for you! This chai cake is inspired by the warm, comforting flavors of masala chai, Indian-style spiced tea.
This new recipe for moist vanilla chai cake is full of flavor from lots of warming spices and vanilla. Then we'll top all of that off with my favorite brown butter cream cheese glaze, the same one from my Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls. It makes this easy chai cake absolutely amazing!
Its warm fall spices are perfect alongside my Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso or my Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini to welcome in the fall season! And for more of the best fall goodies, check out my list of the 36 Best Fall Desserts for your Seasonal Celebrations!
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What is the difference between chai and masala chai?
The word "chai" means "tea" in Hindi, and chai refers to a basic tea with black tea leaves, milk, and sugar, which is the way folks enjoy tea in many places, especially in India. In the United States, we might call that a tea latte.
"Masala" means a mixture of spices in Hindi. So, "masala chai" is spiced tea. It includes the basic chai ingredients (black tea, milk, water, and sugar) but also contains a blend of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and black pepper. These spices give masala chai a richer, more aromatic flavor profile compared to regular chai.
There's often confusion in the United States, because we often refer to masala chai simply as "chai" or a "chai latte." This bundt spice cake recipe has many of the warm spices found in masala chai, along with vanilla, brown butter, and cream cheese, so it's perfect for any chai lover!
What is the origin of spice cake?
The old fashioned spice cake recipe got its start back in medieval Europe. People began adding spices like cinnamon and ginger to their cakes as these exotic flavors became available through international trade. The spices not only made the cakes tastier but also helped them last longer.
This tradition spread around Europe and eventually made its way to the Americas. Now spice cake is a cozy favorite, especially during the fall and winter months. This chai spice bundt cake continues that tradition and it's the perfect cozy treat!
What is chai spice cake made of?
This vanilla chai cake has simple ingredients and is simple to make! Check out the recipe card below for detailed measurements and instructions, but here's a quick look at what you'll need:
- butter - in this recipe, we'll use unsalted butter. Make sure it's at room temperature before adding it in. If your kitchen is excessively hot or cool, you may want to check the temperature of your butter with a meat thermometer. It should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- vegetable oil - adding a bit of vegetable oil helps to give us a moist cake.
- brown sugar - we'll use light brown sugar for this spice bundt cake recipe to give it a rich sweetness and moister texture! You can also use dark brown sugar for even more molasses flavor!
- eggs - you'll want your eggs to be at room temperature too. If they feel cold to the touch, submerge them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
- vanilla - for the best flavor in this spiced bundt cake, I like to use pure vanilla extract. Or you can make your own!
- flour - Measure your cake flour by weight with a kitchen scale to make sure you don't accidentally add too much. If you don't have cake flour, all-purpose flour can work too.
- chai masala spice blend - these are the aromatic spices that are key to the flavors in this cake! To make things easier, I used a store-bought tea masala that I got from Amazon. If you'd rather gather your own chai spices, you can check the recipe card below for how you can make it yourself! And if you love these spices, check out my Cinnamon Roll Apple Pies and my Cake Mix Apple Cobbler!
- baking powder - this leavening agent helps to ensure a fluffy texture despite the heavier ingredients in this cake.
- salt - brings out all these amazing flavors!
- cake release - I usually use baking spray with no problems, but with this cake's stickier batter, I opted for "cake goop": equal parts shortening, flour, and vegetable oil. Mix them with an electric mixer and use a pastry brush to brush a thin later of the goop onto your Bundt cake pan. Your cake will come right out!
And now for the best part! We're topping our homemade spice bundt cake with a luscious brown butter cream cheese glaze that will look amazing on your holiday table! For that, you'll need:
- butter - we'll be using brown butter for this glaze, which gives it tons of rich, nutty flavor! It's pretty easy -- you'll just need to heat your butter over medium heat in a light-colored pan until the milk solids separate and turn a warm caramel color. If you're new to browning butter, check out my post Browned Butter 101: How to Brown Butter for a detailed step-by-step!
- cream cheese - as above, make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature.
- powdered sugar - we'll use powdered sugar to provide the structure and sweetness for our glaze.
- chai masala - we'll use some more of our tea masala to bring those flavors into our icing!
- milk - to help get our glaze to the perfect consistency! I usually use whole milk, but any type of milk works.
- salt - just pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
I recommend making this chai spice bundt cake recipe in a high-quality Bundt or tube cake pan. I like the Elegant Party Bundt Pan from Nordic Ware, which is a 10-cup Bundt pan, but you can also use a slightly larger pan. To mix this vanilla chai cake, I use my KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but you can also use a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer.
I also recommend a rubber spatula for folding in the dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl. You may also want to have a wire rack to help the cake cool more quickly and allow for your glaze to drip off the sides cleanly. I also like to use an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake to check for doneness -- the thermometer should show 210℉.
To check out more of my favorite baking equipment, check out My Favorite Kitchen & Baking Tools!
Instructions
The recipe card below will give you detailed step-by-step instructions for making this cake, as well as full ingredient measurements and a recipe video! But here's a quick look at how you'll make this recipe!
Cream butter, oil, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed, followed by vanilla.
Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, chai spice mix, and salt in a large bowl.
Alternate folding flour mixture and sour cream into wet ingredients, mixing until just combined after each addition.
Spoon cake batter into prepared Bundt pan and drop on the counter to eliminate air bubbles, then bake in preheated oven!
Once the cake is cooled, whip up brown butter cream cheese frosting and drizzle over the top of the cake.
Hint: This autumn spice bundt cake is even better the next day! The texture gets a little richer and the flavors meld together more. For the best results, let your cooled cake sit at room temperature under a cake dome or another airtight container overnight before adding glaze -- your taste buds will thank you!
Chocolate Chai Cake
If you love this spice bundt cake with cream cheese frosting but you want to make it a chocolate chai cake, it's easy! Just replace ½ cup of the flour with unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, and follow the recipe as usual! You can glaze your chocolate cake with the glaze in this recipe, or use the chocolate ganache glaze in my Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe!
Dirty Chai Cake
You can even make this recipe into a dirty chai cake! "Dirty chai" refers to a chai latte with an added shot of espresso, so you can achieve that flavor combination by adding in 1 teaspoon of espresso powder with the dry ingredients.
Storage
You can store this chai bundt spice cake recipe in the fridge, covered, for up to four days. Because of the cream cheese glaze, it's not a good idea to allow it to sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
You can also freeze this cake, well wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
So what is chai made of? The spices and ratio used varies from person to person, but it often includes cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, star anise, allspice, and cinnamon.
Bundt cakes are different because you bake them in a fluted tube pan. This chai cake is both a Bundt cake because of the pan we bake it in and a pound cake because of its ingredients and texture! Check out my post Pound Cake vs Bundt Cake for more about Bundt cakes, and to see more of my favorite Bundt cake recipes!
The cozy spices in this spice bundt cake are a great start! Add in a brown butter cream cheese glaze and you've got a truly jazzy cake!
Bundt cakes are named after the Bundt pan, the ring-shaped, fluted aluminum pan we use to bake them. Dave Dalquist of Nordic Ware invented the pan in 1950. The pan's name comes from the German word bundkuchen, which translates to "a cake for gatherings," and that's so accurate! It's the perfect cake for a celebration!
Traditional masala chai is made with spices and brewed with tea leaves, sweetened and served with a splash of milk. Chai lattes, on the other hand, are often made with steamed milk and a sweetened chai concentrate or chai-flavored powder.
Top Tip
Don't forget to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale! It'll help ensure accurate measurements and prevent a dry cake! Happy baking!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this one? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe:
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (284 g) unsalted butter - room temperature (2½ sticks)
- 5 teaspoon (25 ml) vegetable oil
- 2⅔ cups (587 g) light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (285 g) cake flour - measured by weight using a kitchen scale or with the spoon and level method
- 4 teaspoon (20 g) chai masala blend - store-bought or homemade -- see note below
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- 1¼ teaspoon (8 g) salt
- 1 cup (230 g) full-fat sour cream - room temperature
- cake release spread, a.k.a. "cake goop" - or baking spray
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- 2 oz (57 g) full-fat cream cheese - room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) chai masala blend
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar - measured by weight using a kitchen scale or with the spoon and level method
- ¼ cup (59 ml) milk - plus more if needed for desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Position oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Add butter, oil, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl and use a hand mixer). Cream mixture on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, 5 teaspoon vegetable oil, 2⅔ cups light brown sugar
- Add in room temperature eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 5 large eggs
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, chai masala blend, baking powder, and salt until well combined.2½ cups cake flour, 4 teaspoon chai masala blend, 1¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Alternate folding in dry ingredients and sour cream into batter mixture, beginning and ending with flour, until just combined.1 cup full-fat sour cream
- Brush a thin layer of cake release (cake goop) all over inside of the pan, being sure to get it in the crevices.cake release spread, a.k.a. "cake goop"
- Spoon cake batter evenly into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles (you should see a few bubbles come to the surface).
- Bake in preheated oven for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean, or an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake reads 210℉.
- Let cake cool in pan 10-15 minutes, then carefully flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
- Melt butter over medium heat in a light-colored sauté pan. Allow to foam and continue stirring until milk solids have separated and butter begins to turn golden brown. Immediately transfer brown butter to a small heat-proof bowl, scraping out brown bits with it. Cool to room temperature.2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Beat softened cream cheese and cooled brown butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt.2 oz full-fat cream cheese, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, pinch salt
- Gradually add in chai masala and powdered sugar, mixing on low, until combined. Beat another minute until smooth and creamy. Mix in milk to achieve desired consistency.1 teaspoon chai masala blend, 2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk
- Pour glaze over cooled cake, let set, and serve.
Video
Notes
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Nutrition
Last Updated on March 29, 2025 by Chenée Lewis
Jess says
Hi Chenee,
I’m about to make your chai bundt cake. Just wondering if there is an alternative to the cream cheese icing?
Will it taste dry without it?
Cheers Jess
Chenée Lewis says
Hi Jess -- you can just leave the cake as-is, or dust it with powdered sugar, or you can use a simple vanilla icing like in my Peach Cobbler Pound Cake. Hope you like the recipe!
Krysten says
Chai is my favorite fall flavor, so I was so excited to make this recipe! The spices in this bundt cake are so cozy and aromatic. I like to warm up the slices a bit before eating. So good!
Chenée Lewis says
Yess! Warm slices of chai bundt cake are so good! Glad you enjoy it!
Jazz says
This cake came out so lovey! Nice soft crumb and the chai flavors are my fave. I’ll be making it again thank you!
Chenée Lewis says
I'm so glad you liked it!! 🙂
Dionne says
This was the cake for my father-in-law's birthday this past weekend, and it was really a hit! I can't get enough of that icing.
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you! The icing is my favorite part 😋
Dina Miller says
Wow! This cake was so moist! Amazing flavor!
Janine says
I had never made anything chai-flavored before, and I was hesitant about the black pepper! But the cake came out really nice, and I especially liked the glaze. Thanks!