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 

Aromatic Chai Tea Cake

Yesterday I made this cake in the afternoon. On a cold day with the oven working and the smell of warm comforting spices this hit the spot. I found the recipe to be fairly easy. The texture was spongy but light tasting. This would be a nice change to pumpkin pie. If you are looking for a dessert to serve this Thanksgiving or Christmas this is one. To make this you will need the following: 

1 1/2 cups of milk
10 Chai Tea bags

3 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
5 eggs 
2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract

First preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour two 8 inch round pans. Believe it or not I don't have two round pans instead I used one bundt/tube pan. Place that aside.

In a sauce pan, heat milk over medium heat, add the tea bags, remove from heat and let steep for about 15 minutes. I used a loose Spicy Chai tea, bought at a local tea shop, Cally's Teas. Placing about 20-30 grams worth into two Blackthorn Garden D.I.Y. tea bags, I brought back from England. Remove the tea bags and set milk aside and let it cool completely. 

In a bowl, blend together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a standing electric mixer or a hand held electric mixer blend brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla on medium speed until creamy. Approximately 3 minutes. Reducing the speed to low and alternating the cooled milk and flour mixture, blending until smooth. Having one of those standing mixers makes things go so much more easier. Divide the batter evenly among the pans or in my case spread the batter evenly in the tube the pan. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 30 minutes for two 8 inch pans or 45 minutes for one bundt/tube pan until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans or pan for 10 minutes then remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

This is how I served it. Homemade caramel sauce and pears. You can try custard, whipping cream, creme fraiche and or an apple pear compote. If you make the two 8 inch cakes you can layer with a cream cheese icing for more of a traditional look.