Chai Coffee Cake with Chocolate Crunch

This coffee cake has a nice spiced flavour with all the sweetness of traditional coffee cake without the eggs; and the chocolate topping adds just a bit of richness.   

Chai Coffee Cake with Chocolate Crunch

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3 to 5 chai tea bags

1 3/4 cups warm milk

3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

6 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons baking cocoa / cocoa powder

4 tablespoons cold butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease and flour an 9x13-inch baking pan. Line the bottom with baking parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small saucepan gently warm the milk with the tea bags over low heat. When warm remove from heat and allow to steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Squeeze out the teabags and let milk cool. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 

In a medium bowl, combine the oil and sugar and whisk until creamy. Add the yoghurt, vanilla and cooled chai milk. Gently whisk together. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and combine until just mixed. 

In a small bowl combine cocoa powder, brown sugar and flour. Cut in the cold butter and blend together using a fork or your fingers. Add the chocolate chips and sliced almonds.

Spread the cake batter into the prepared baking tin and sprinkle with the topping mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until cake is set along the edges and a toothpick come out clean. 

Notes: you may use soy milk, instead of milk, if you wish. 

As temperatures plummeted to minus 40ºC, we were keeping ourselves warm by layering and baking! Whatever the temperature outside we hope everyone had a great weekend! 
- JD