The aromas in the house are going to drive the neighbors insane so make sure you make enough to share with everyone 🙂 This oh-so-grown-up cake and it’s intensity of flavors are going to make you feel like a pro. Enjoy this wonderful cake with a cup of Tea, with breakfast or as a dessert (with ice-cream…)!
Prep Time: 20 min
Bake Time: 40-45 min
Makes: approx. 10 slices
Ingredients:
Filling/Topping:
Unsalted Butter – 1 tbsp, softened
Brown Sugar – 3 tbsp
Flour (Maida) – 1.5 tbsp
Walnuts – 1/3rd cup, chopped
Chai (Tea) Masala – 2 tsp
Batter:
Flour (Maida) – 1.25 cup
Salt – 1/8th tsp
Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Unsalted Butter – 6 tbsp, softened
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Large Eggs – 2
Thick Yogurt – 3/4th cup
Vanilla Essence – 1/2 tsp
Butter for greasing baking dish
Flour for dusting
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
2. Butter the sides and bottom of the baking tray and lightly dust with Flour and remove excess.
Topping/Filling:
3. In a shallow dish, combine Butter, Brown Sugar, Flour (Maida), Walnuts and Chai (Tea) Masala.
4. With a fork mix till it is crumbly and set aside for later.
Batter:
5. In a bowl, sift all the dry ingredients – Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt.
6. Mix and Set aside.
7. In a mixing bowl, cream the Butter and Sugar together on low speed with a hand blender.
8. Once creamed, break in the Eggs into the batter and incorporate well.
9. Add in the Vanilla Essence and mix.
10. Add in the sifted dry ingredients and the Yogurt alternately in the batter.
11. Beat till it is all done and incorporated well into a smooth batter.
12. In the loaf pan, pour half of the batter.
13. Tap and level it.
14. Sprinkle 3/4th of the topping/filling mixture on the batter.
15. Pour the balance of the batter and level.
16. Sprinkle the balance of the topping/filling and place the baking pan into the center of the oven.
17. Bake for 40-45 min. Insert a toothpick to make sure it is baked.
18. Once done, take out of the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes, loosen the edges and then flip onto a cooling rack.
19. Serve warm or allow to cool and store for a later time.
Tips:
1. For Eggless Cake, substitute: 2 tbsp of Flaxseed + 6 tbsp Warm Water. Mix and allow sit aside for 5 min. Mix in place of eggs. Add additional 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda.
2. Store the cake in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for upto a month.
3. To make it sweeter, increase the amount of Sugar.
Greetings, I’d like to know how to make your own chai masala powder as I can’t find it in the stores here in Malaysia?
Thank you.
Hi there, just discovered your website, and it’s awesome! I just got a question about the quantitiy as I’m in Europe, the counting is a bit different, so could you please tell me how much in gramm is the flour and the butter, and yogurt so then I can mesure ? Thanks a lot for your help, can’t wait to try the recipe!
Marie.
Hi there, just discovered your website today, and it’s awesome! I just got a question about the quantitiy as I’m in Europe, the counting is a bit different, so could you please tell me how much in gramm is the flour and the butter, and yogurt so then I can mesure ? Thanks a lot for your help, can’t wait to try the recipe!
Hello –
What kind of yogurt do you mean when you list “thick yogurt?” I’ve collected all the ingredients but was unsure of what yogurt I should be using. Will any old plain yogurt do or do you have a preferred brand I should look for?
Thanks for your help.
Hi Hetal n Anuja
Can i use white sugar instead of brown?
Hi Swetha,
We have not tried it with white sugar, but the moisture content is different so it may not produce the same texture.
Hi hetal and Anuja, I have made this cake twice and it has been a disaster both times. I used the brown flaxseed seeds and ground it into a powder. As soon as I added into the butter and sugar creamed mixture, it curdled. Moreover when I put into the oven it took more than an hour to cook and the cake was so dense and crumbly both times. Please help, what do I do!?
Hi Divya,
So sorry to hear that. We’ve never had it curdle on us so not sure what to say… Maybe the flaxseed are not fresh? Sorry to be of no help 🙁
Hi.
I absolutely love your website and your style of explaining the recipes. It is extremely warm and motivating. I have tried quite a few recipes, but undoubtedly, this Masala Chai Cake is my favorite so far. I just had to add 1/4 cup of milk at the very end, as the batter became too thick, but other than that, the cake turned out just brilliant. You were right, the aroma of freshly baked cake and masala chai flavors very just heavenly. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe.
Thanks for the feedback Geetika!
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
is it possible to warm up the cake in the microwave just like sponge cake for few seconds? Thank´s for your answer!
Hi Reni,
Yes, you can put a slice in the microwave and heat it for just 10-15 seconds.
Hi Hetal & Anuja, I tried out this cake a few days back and it turned out awesome. I loved the aroma and it’s unique taste. I loved it so much that I tried the paneer masala bread by replacing the paneer masala in with this chai masala mixture and it was simply superb. Thanks and keep posting more recipes.
Hi Meera,
Glad you liked it! Will have to try the paneer masala bread this way 🙂
Hi there ladies…namaste….i tried this recipe n the cake turned out super amazing and fluffy with all the right textures n flavors frm a spice cake thank you soooo much for sharing this recipe with us and keep up the good work in teaching us tasty recipes from india
Thanks Farzleen! Glad you enjoyed it!
I love all your recipes. cant wait to try some of them, I am already getting the spices to start. i was looking for the chai masala at my local indian store and all i could get was either masala tea bags or garam masala ( it hascoriander,black pepper,fennel,ginger,mustard,clove,cardamom,nutmeg,turmeric,star anise,cinnamon,salt& curry leaf) will the garam masala work? thanks
Hi Paola,
Garam masala has many of the ingredients of chai masala, but unfortunately it has others that will not work with this recipe.
HI ANUJA AND HETEL.WHAT AN AWSOME RECIPE.MADE THE LOAF TODAY ,REALLY YUMMY THOUGH I THINK MY CHAI MASALA WAS A BIT TOO SPICY.WILL BE TAKING IT TO THE SENIOR CITIZENS CLUB TO TRY IT OUT ON EVERY ONE THERE .I AM SURE THEY WILL LOVE IT .HOPE YOU GUYS HAVE SOME MORE DIFFERENT RECIPES LIKE THIS ONE .KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
KAMLA—NEWZEALAND
Hi Chef Hetal And Chef Anuja
This is really a nice recipe hub. India Will be proud of that.
I want to ask u a question. Why we add Baking soda and baking powder in making the cakes ? I know the reason for adding baking powder but still can’t find out why Baking Soda is added ? is their any combination of the two. Please tell me the appropriate reason.
Waiting for ur replies Chefs.
Hi Vivek,
Please see this explanation:
http://www.thekitchn.com/baking-soda-and-baking-powder-103763
Greetings
Do you have a recipe for BREAD / Dinner Rolls etc
(I am looking for CRUNCHY bread and Mouth watering / Melt-in-your mouth dinner rolls
You ladies are looking GOOD…..Keep up the good work
Wonder if the hubbies are ACE cooks as well….Perhaps NOT
Thanks
Thanks Jagmohan!
We don’t have plain bread or dinner rolls yet…we’ll put them on our “really long list” :). The hubbies are not too bad in their own respect ;).
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thank you so much for sharing all the wonderful recipes. I have tried many of them but love this one the most. Just wondering ,would that be possible if i make a marble cake from the same batter? The consistency its about the same right? So far I have not succeed making a perfect marble cake,maybe one day you can share the secret 🙂
Hi Lucy,
Did you want to make a marble design using the same ingredients? If so, yes, just layer the ingredients and run a butter knife up and down and all around the batter. It should create a marble like effect.
Update:
I made this cake and it was great. I used pistachios since I don’t like walnuts that much. The aroma was nice, someone thought I was making gingerbread cookies. The taste was perfect. Thank you so much! Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the feedback Laura!
Hi hetal n anuja! U guys rock. I like ur recipes . I have just baked this cake and it looks super awesome. All tried carrot halwa it was yummy :0)
Thanks n keep it up.
Thank you girls for this wonderful recipe… I made this today and it turned out perfect :)I loved the light and fluffy texture of the cake with its crunchy crust 🙂 I used Almonds instead of Walnuts.
This cake looks amazing. Chai Masala, what an interesting twist. I used chai masala mix in my homemade gingerbread cookies and it was amazing.
I do plan on making this cake. I have a question though, is there another nut I can use instead of walnuts? Do you think it would taste good if I used unsalted pistachios or almonds in place of walnuts? Let me know. Thank you.
Hi Laura,
Yes, you can really use any nut. We like walnuts because they are considered nutritionally superior to most other nuts. Also, they have a little softer texture than almonds.
Hi, can i bake this cake in 8″ round pan? I’m asking this cos I do not have a bread loaf pan.
Would appeciate your early reply.
thnx and love,
Rama
Hi Rama,
An 8″ cake pans holds approx 4 cups whereas a loaf pan (usually comes in 2 sizes) hold either 6 or 8 cups. If you use the cake pan, you may have to half the recipe.
Hi….maybe this will help. I have made this wonderful cake many times, but I make them in mini aluminum loaf pans…it makes 4 cakes. I leave 2 out and I wrap the other 2 in foil paper and freeze, so I have these amazing cakes when I have surprise visitors. My girls are 6 and 4 and they just love this cake!!! It’s also great out of the freezer!!
Thanks laadli! That sounds like a great idea!
Hi There,
I had few issues with this cake. It sanked after baking and I wonder if flexseeds has something to do with it. Thanks Renu
Hi Renu,
Flaxseeds are a good egg substitute, but you will never get the exact results as using eggs. Sometimes, opening the oven door in the middle can also make the cake sink.
Hetal,
U look fab gurl!!
Thinking of trying this recipe out today… unfortunately, there’s no brown sugar at home!
hi hetal n anuja
I’m from newzealand.I tried the cake n it came out wonderful,,my husband loved it…I didn’t have vanilla essence bt still the flavours were fantastic,,i’m a newly wed n ur recipes have made my husband a great fan of mine..there r hundreds of sites which show preparation of indian recipes,,but the best part about urs is that u 2 make the things so simple with ur evergreen smile rather than the others who demonstrate the recipes as if reading some weather report,,luv u both
Thanks so much Sabby! You just made our day 🙂
Hi Hetal,
Can I use homemade ‘makhan’ as unsalted butter in all the cake recipes? In Mumbai it is easily obtained from milk at home.
Hi Chetna,
Unfortunately, we don’t get homemade “makhan” as easily here so we have never tried it. You may want to try it on a small batch.