Vanilla Chai Spice Brown Sugar Cake

Sep 8, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Origin: Madagascar Vanilla: Extract Medium

Slice of vanilla chai spice brown sugar cake

This classic butter cake has a tender crumb, clean vanilla flavor, and enough structure for layering or frosting. It combines black tea infused with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and a restrained touch of clove. Brown sugar adds flavor and texture. Best with Madagascar vanilla (rich, creamy, classic); any pure vanilla works.

Prep 25 min

Cook 30 min

Cooling 45 min

Total 1 hr 40 min

Servings 10

Diet —

Ingredients

2.0 cups (240.0 g)all-purpose flour
1 ⅓ cups (260.0 g)granulated sugar
¾ cup (170.0 g)unsalted butter, softened
3.0 (150.0 g)large eggs
1.0 cup (240.0 ml)whole milk
2.0 tsp (8.0 g)baking powder
½ tsp (3.0 g)fine sea salt
2 ¼ tsp (11.25 ml)VanillaGoods vanilla extract
1.0 tbsp (6.0 g)Assam black tea leaves
1.0 tsp (2.6 g)ground cinnamon
¾ tsp (1.5 g)ground ginger
¾ tsp (1.5 g)ground cardamom
⅛ tsp (0.26 g)ground cloves

Flavor Accent

3.0 tbsp (40.0 g)light brown sugar, packed

Make it at home

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, and grease the parchment.
Stir the light brown sugar into the granulated sugar until evenly blended with no clumps; use this mixture wherever the recipe calls for sugar.
Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture should be pale, fluffy, and visibly increased in volume.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. If the batter begins to look curdled, add a spoonful of the measured flour.
Warm the measured milk with the Assam tea until steaming but not boiling. Remove from the heat, steep for 5 minutes, strain, add a little more milk if needed to bring it back to the original amount, and cool to room temperature. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves together. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the cooled chai-infused milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix on low and stop as soon as the batter is smooth.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes. The cakes are done when the tops spring back lightly and a tester inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them onto a rack and let them cool completely before filling or frosting.

Tips

Optional add-in: fold 100 g toasted almonds, pecans or pistachios (cooled and chopped) into the finished dough or batter just until evenly distributed.
Optional finish, cocoa dusting (1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder): sift the finishing cocoa through a fine sieve in a light, even cocoa dusting over the fully cooled cake just before serving. The finish should stay on the surface without melting into the dessert.
Optional finish, cream cheese glaze (3 oz cream cheese, softened, ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tbsp whole milk): beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, then gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle or spread over the fully cooled cake.
Optional finish, honey glaze (¾ cup confectioners' sugar, 1½ tbsp honey, 1 tbsp whole milk): whisk the confectioners' sugar, honey, and milk until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the fully cooled cake.
Optional finish, maple glaze (¾ cup confectioners' sugar, 2 tbsp pure maple syrup): whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the fully cooled cake.
Optional finish, vanilla glaze (1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1½ tbsp whole milk, ½ tsp VanillaGoods vanilla extract): whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over the fully cooled cake.
Add any glaze or dusting only after the cake has cooled completely, about 60 minutes.
Vanilla bean paste swaps 1:1 for the extract and adds visible vanilla seeds; for a whole bean, use the seeds of 1 bean in place of 2 teaspoons of extract.
Best vanilla for this: Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic), or Mexican (spiced, warm, woodsy). Any pure vanilla works.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make vanilla chai spice brown sugar cake?

Plan on 25 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking, plus 45 minutes to rest, chill, or cool. It makes 10 servings.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Vanilla bean paste swaps 1:1 for the extract and adds visible vanilla seeds; for a whole bean, use the seeds of 1 bean in place of 2 teaspoons of extract.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

367 Calories / serving

16.3g Fat

50.2g Carbs

5.5g Protein

31.4g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~3670 cal · 163g fat · 502g carbs · 55g protein · 314g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.

Per serving · 367 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 69 min·4.0 mi·~8050 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 50 min·2.5 mi·~5000 steps
Moderate cycling 37 min·7.4 mi
Swimming laps 51 min
Jogging 36 min·3.0 mi·~5750 steps
Stair climbing 34 min·~3050 steps
Dancing 60 min
Bodyweight circuit training 37 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 85 min

Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.