CHAI TEA CAKE WITH GINGER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Chai Tea Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting image

A beautifully fragrant spice cake flavored with classic masala chai spices and topped with fresh ginger cream cheese frosting. This cake is sure to make your mouth water and is always a great crowd pleaser!

Provided by Priti D

Categories Desserts Cakes Spice Cake Recipes

Time 2h45m

Yield 20

Number Of Ingredients 22

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Ingredients

2 cups water
3 teabag (blank)s tea bags of strong black tea
1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled
3 whole cardamom pods, or more to taste
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
¾ teaspoon ground cloves, divided
½ cup white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup molasses
1 large egg
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
2 teabag (blank)s tea bags of strong black tea
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
Begin cake by combining water, 3 tea bags, ginger root, cardamom pods, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon cloves in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg; mix well.
Mix flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt with remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon cloves in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, one half at a time; stir to combine. Strain hot tea and slowly pour into the batter and stir until smooth; batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared cake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool, about 30 minutes.
While the cakes are cooling, combine water, sugar, and tea bags for simple syrup in a small pot over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar has dissolved, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Brush simple syrup over cooled and leveled cakes until the majority of the cake has absorbed the syrup. Do not oversoak the cakes; you want enough syrup to soak in and keep cakes moist and flavorful without flooding them. Place cakes in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until ready to decorate.
Combine cream cheese, butter, and ginger for frosting in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and blend until smooth. Frost cake.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 326.9 calories, Carbohydrate 52.4 g, Cholesterol 43 mg, Fat 12.4 g, Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 2.9 g, SaturatedFat 7.7 g, Sodium 230.3 mg, Sugar 36.5 g