I love Chai..that actually is an understatement. I can not live without Chai. When I say Chai, I am referring to the typical Indian Chai you get in India, flavored with either cardamon, ginger, lemon grass, sweetened with sugar and of course with milk. So when I had to bring something to work for a Diwali potluck, I thought of sharing my love for Chai with my colleagues.

If you have had a chance to look at my recipes you would notice that I love to combine flavors. I love taking flavors from a cuisine and combining it with a technique that is from a different cuisine. Todays recipe is one such example.

Here I have combined the Chai masala flavors alogn with Lemongrass ginger tea glaze with the classic cake. The cake is similar to a pound cake, but I have added some yogurt to add some tang.

Chai Masala Cake

IMG_1093

Ingredients:

For Filling/Topping:

IMG_1080

 
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsp flour
1/3 c chopped walnuts
2 tsp Chai (tea) Masala
I make my own Chai masala with all the spices ( recipe below)

For  the Batter:

IMG_1076
1 ¼ c flour
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
6 Tbsp butter, room temperature
½ c sugar
2 large eggs
¾ c thick yogurt
½ tsp vanilla
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350 °F.
Butter the sides and bottom of a loaf pan and lightly dust with flour and remove excess.
 To make the topping/filling:  place butter, brown sugar, flour, walnuts and Chai Masala in a small bowl. Use a fork to mix till it is crumbly and set aside for later.
IMG_1084
Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt).
Cream the butter and sugar together on low speed with a hand blender.
IMG_1077
Add the yogurt and mix it for 10 seconds. Once creamed, break in the eggs into the batter and incorporate well.  Add in the vanilla and mix.
IMG_1083
Add in the sifted dry ingredients and the yogurt alternately in the batter. Beat till it is all done and incorporated well into a smooth batter.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan; tap to level it.
IMG_1086
Sprinkle filling mixture on the batter.
IMG_1087
finish with the remaining batter (tap again to re-level).
IMG_1088
Bake for 40-45 min at 350 F. Insert a toothpick to make sure it is baked.
IMG_1090
Let cake stand for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan; pour over the glaze.
It is totally optional if you want to make the glaze or not, I like it since it brings in the typical elements of Indian Chai
Glaze:
Ingredients:
2 tsp black tea leaves( you can use tea bags if you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped lemon grass
1/4 inch ginger
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup water
Chop the lemon grass and ginger in fine pieces. Add them to the water and boil on low flame till you are left with 1/2 cup water ( may be a little more).
IMG_1089
Strain & add tea leaves, let it seep till you have a nice tea flavor. It may not look pretty but tastes good.
Strain the mixture and discard the tea leaves. You will have lemon grass and ginger infused tea.Cool the tea.
IMG_1091
Mix the powdered sugar with the water and mix well.
 Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chai Masala:
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground cloves
Mix all the ingredients well.