Chai Chocolate Cake

 

I cannot get over my chai obsession. The chai ginger cookies I made over the holidays set me off and now I want to put the spices in everything. Luckily our friends from small group got engaged (yay) so I had a great occasion to really go for it. I made 2 chai chocolate layers, a chocolate frosing & cocoa nib filling, iced it with whipped vanilla icing and coated the outside in crushed gingersnap cookies. Since it was for such a fabulous occasion I made some waves and tipped them with edible glitter.

 

 This is currently my favorite cake flavor!

 

 

 

 

Chai Chocolate Cake:

 

3/4 cup boiling water

2 chai tea bags

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup butter; room temp

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

 

1   preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter 2- 8" cake pans

2   steep the 2 tea bags into the water and let sit to cool

3   in a bowl mix the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and soda, spices

4   in another bowl beat the butter and sugar together

5   then mix in the egg, then the yogurt and vanilla

6   squeeze excess liquid out of tea bags and dispose of them

7   pour half the dry ingredients into the wet, then pour in half the tea and beat together

8   do the same with the rest of the , don't over mix

7   pour half of the batter into each cake pan

8   bake for 35-40 minutes, toothpick should come out clean

 

 

Chocolate Frosting Filling:

 

1/2 cup butter; room temp

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup powdered sugar

3-4 tbs milk

cocoa nibs

 

1   beat butter until light and fluffy

2   mix in cocoa powder and powdered sugar

3   beat in 3 tbs of milk, if it seems to thick beat in 1 more

4   once cake is completely cool spread frosting over the top of one of the cakes

    and sprinkle with cocoa nibs

 

 

Whipped Vanilla Frosting:

 

5tbs flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup butter; room temp

1 cup sugar

5 tbs. flour

1   in a small saucepan whisk flour into milk and heat on medium-low

2   stir constantly until it is the consistency of brownie mix (brownie not cake)

3   remove from heat and let cool, once it is cool add the vanilla

4   meanwhile, cream butter and sugar until very well mixed; 5 minutes

5   then add the cream mixture and beat; 7 minutes

6   frost the outside of the cake

 

Crumb topping:

 

1/2 package gingersnap cookies

 

1   place cookies in a plastic baggie and beat them or step on them until

     they are all small crumbs

2   immediately after you ice the cake place the cake overtop of an area

     covered with plastic wrap (for easy clean up)

3   grab a handful of cookie crumbs and open your hand onto the side of the

     cake to get them to stick to the frosting. It's really easy to get them to stick

     it can just make a mess