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Colorful Leaves Chai Spice Cake Recipe by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar and Cloth
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5 from 5 votes

Spiced Chai Cake with Edible Leaves Recipe

A recipe that combines the rich, spicy flavors of chai tea, with a hint of vanilla and a dollop of whipped cream and caramel.
Prep Time1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Assembling & Decorating40 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Cakes
Keyword: edible leaves, spiced chai cake
Servings: 20
Calories: 590kcal

Equipment

  • Parchment paper
  • Cake pans
  • Medium saucepan
  • Mixer
  • Food safe paintbrush
  • 8" round cake pans
  • Piping bag and round tip
  • Large boba straws

Ingredients

For the spiced chai cake:

  • 3 cup flour sifted
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup butter 2 sticks of butter room temperature
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 bags chai spice tea
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the chai spice buttercream frosting:

  • 1 1/2 cup butter 3 sticks of butter at room temperature
  • 2 bags chai spice tea
  • 5 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the vanilla caramel whipped cream filling:

  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup caramel sauce

For the decor:

  • 2 1/2 lb white fondant
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp water
  • Wafer paper
  • Petal dusts  in a variety of colors

Instructions

To make the cake:

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two 8-inch cake rounds with parchment paper and grease with a little butter.
  • Warm (but do not boil) the milk in a saucepan. Add the chai spice tea bags directly to the milk, and allow it to simmer and steep for 10 minutes. (If using loose chai tea leaves, strain the mixture.) Set aside.
  • Start by warming up your milk and adding your chai spice tea bags. Let it steep for 10 minutes (if using loose leaf tea, strain milk). Set the milk tea aside.
  • In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set the dry ingredients aside.
  • In a separate large mixing bowl with a mixer on medium speed, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. You should end up with a light and fluffy yellow mixture. Stir in vanilla extract.
  • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with milk tea. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 32-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before leveling and decorating.

To make the chai spice buttercream frosting:

  • In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add your two chai spice tea bags. Let it steep for 10 minutes. If using loose leaf tee, strain tea from butter.
  • Pour the butter mixture into a small bowl, and place it in the fridge until it firms up a bit.
  • Once butter has firmed up, add to your stand mixer bowl and cream the butter on medium speed. Gradually add the powdered sugar (about a half cup at a time) and mix until well combined.
  • Pour in the vanilla extract and continue to mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. The buttercream should be a smooth and spreadable consistency.

To make the caramel whipped cream filling:

  • Using an electric mixer on high speed, whip the heavy cream until it starts to thicken.
  • Gradually add the caramel sauce to the whipped cream. You can adjust the quantity based on your desired level of sweetness. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overmix, as your whipped cream will start to fall apart.

To assemble the spiced chai cake:

  • Ensure that your spiced chai cake layers are completely cooled. If needed, level the tops of the cakes using a serrated knife to create an even surface. (If you like bigger layers like ours, you can bake a double cake recipe for 4 thick layers.)
  • Fit the piping bag with a round tip. Fill the piping bag with the chai spice buttercream frosting.
  • Pipe a ring of chai spice buttercream frosting around the edge of the bottom cake layer. This creates a border to hold the filling.
  • Fill the center of the cake layer with the caramel whipped cream, staying within the piped border.
  • Stack the second chai cake layer on top. Repeat the process with the chai spice buttercream and caramel whipped cream, creating a layer of filling between the two cake layers.
  • Optional: If you’ve made a tall double barrel cake like ours, insert 7-inch boba straws or dowel rods into the cake. One in the center of the layers will do, but to be safe we used 5 straws to reduce the risk of sagging or collapsing.
  • Apply a crumb coat or a thin layer of chai spice buttercream frosting. Start at the top and work down to the sides. This creates an even surface should that is free of crumbs.
  • Place cake in the fridge to allow filling and crumb coat to harden. While your cake is in the fridge, prep your fondant.

To cover and decorate the cake with fondant:

  • Measure the height and circumference of your cake. (Ours was 7 ¼” x 22 ½”).
  • Roll out two rectangles of fondant (one for each half of your cake) to a thickness 1/4 inch. Divide the circumference of your cake to get the length of each of your fondant pieces.  
  • Carefully lift the rolled-out fondant using the rolling pin and drape each piece around the side of the cake. Gently smooth the fondant over the cake using your hands. Trim the excess fondant at the base of the cake using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Leave a small border for a neat finish.
  • For the top fondant piece, cut an 8” circle from your rolled fondant and place on top of your cake, again, trimming where needed. Use a fondant smoother to smooth the surface of the fondant, starting from the top and working your way down the sides. Ensure there are no air bubbles or wrinkles.

To paint the polka dots:

  • With a food-safe paintbrush, paint polka dots using black gel food coloring.

To make your edible leaves:

  • Cut out your leaves from the wafer paper sheets.
    Find or create leaf templates or use leaf-shaped cookie cutters. We cut out a variety of shapes and sizes. If you have a craft cutting machine, you can use that to make this process a little easier. (We used the lowest setting and a new blade with our cutter).
  • To Dilute edible petal dusts with a small amount of water. Mix until you achieve a paint-like consistency. You can use various shades of green to create a natural look.
  • To color the leaves, dip your paintbrush in the vegetable oil. You just need a little bit. Then, dip in your first petal dust color and brush on your leaf.  If the petal dust becomes too hard to paint with, you can dip your brush in a little more oil.
  • Repeat this process for all of your leaves. We made about 30 leaves.
  • To add dimension, brush a very small amount of water on your leaves and allow to dry before using. Make sure not to use too much water, as your wafer paper will begin to melt.
  • Allow the leaves to dry completely. This step is essential to ensure that the wafer paper becomes crisp and holds its shape.
  • Decorate your cake with the leaves by attaching them to your cake with a little buttercream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 251mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 1154IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg