Spiced Chai Cake

Today, sitting in my little work cubicle, I decided to bake something tasty once I got home. I decided I wanted to work with spices I don't normally use to kind of break away from the same-old. I went a step further and decided to create something all by myself; just come up with it in my head (maybe check the standard measurements for whatever I decided to bake) and go. Jessica from Pictures of Cake and her Rainy Day Golden Apple Cake gave me courage.

I wanted to use cardamom and ginger and cinnamon...CHAI! I love spiced chai and have made some before. It's not an original idea; I've seen recipes for such a thing before. But this was Sarah-specific chai cake. (Can you tell I'm really proud of myself?) I worked out my starting measurements and gave it go.

It's delicious. I love it. I love myself for creating it. It doesn't look like much, but I love it.


Spiced Chai Cake:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar - this is NOT packed, just measured out like everything else
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 heaping tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 heaping tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 heaping tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 cup prepared black tea (I steeped a bag of Tazo's Awake for awhile to get a strong cup of tea)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch cake pan (or any other smaller pan) very well.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, gloves, and ginger. Mix well. Smell the mixture to get a sense for the balance of spices and to make sure there's enough.
Cream butter and sugars together. Beat in eggs. Add honey and vanilla and mix well.
Add 1/2 of the dry mix and mix well. Add 1/2 of the tea. Mix well. Add the rest of the flour. Mix well. Add the rest of the tea. Mix well. My tea measurement isn't exact; I added approximately 1/4-1/3 a cup. The mixture should have the consistency of .. a cake mixture.
Pour batter into pan. Again, I failed you. I forgot to check the clock when I put the cake in. I'm estimating the bake time at about 20 minutes. Watch it though. It's done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

The cake has a strong spiced flavor, which is what I wanted. I can't decide if I should ice it in any way. I can imagine possibly doing a light honey-flavored whipped icing or maybe a slight vanilla. It shouldn't be too sweet or strong or the whole thing will be too much..

I think this would make great cupcakes.