Chai Apple Cake

Chai Apple Cake will get you in the mood for Fall and cozy evenings. Three layers of soft apple spice sponge cake with maple cream cheese frosting, topped with fresh figs, walnuts, and a caramel drizzle. (Yes I did put some figs in the cake batter too!)  I’m definitely the typical cool weather lover, who gets giddy when I see the first leaf change color. I want to wrap myself in a blanket, sit by the fire, and eat comfort food. Chai is my favorite tea, granny smiths are my fav baking apples, and figs are delish, so..BAM I made a cake with everything!

Chai Apple Cake Tips:

• Chai Tea can be strong, so use a little less if you want a more subtle flavor
• Divide batter evenly between 3 – 6 inch Cake Pans
• Spray Cake pans with baking spray and line bottom with parchment paper
• Wrap cooled baked layers in plastic wrap and freeze for 45 min-1 hr before assembly
• Trip domes off each layer
• Frost cake and put in fridge for 1 hr before doing caramel drip (sets the frosting)
• Store finished Chai Tea Apple Cake in fridge

Cream Cheese Maple Frosting Tips:

• Make sure Butter and Cream Cheese are room temperature
• Whip butter first, then add chunks of cream cheese and whip together
• Slowly add powdered sugar until desired thickness, this will also whiten the frosting
• Use immediately to frost cake, if you chill prior it will be hard and need to sit out for an hour prior to frosting cake

Caramel Cake Drip Tips:

• Constantly stir butter, honey, and sugar while it melts
• Then add vanilla extract
• Once creamy and lightly bubbling
• Remove from heat and keep stirring
• Will thicken as it cools
• Transfer to bottle with tip or use spoon
• Drizzle around edges of cake after its thickened but still liquid
• If it gets too hard, warm for a few seconds, stir and continue
• If it hardens and you don’t like the look, gently peel off the icing and start again with fresh caramel sauce

Chai Apple Cake

By Jenn

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients 

Cake Batter

• ▢ 3 Cups Self Rising Flour
• ▢ 1 ½ Tbsp Chai Tea (dry ingredients from the bag) ~2.5 tea bags
• ▢ 2 tsp Cinnamon
• ▢ ½ tsp nutmeg
• ▢ 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• ▢ 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• ▢ ¾ Cup Coconut Oil melted and lightly cooled
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ ¾ Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 3 cups Diced Peeled Granny Smith Apples
• ▢ ¾ Cup Fig Filling slice and scrape center out with a spoon *optional

Frosting

• ▢ 1 Cup 16 Tbsp Unsalted Butter Softened (Room Temp)
• ▢ 16 oz of Cream Cheese softened
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Light Maple Syrup
• ▢ 3-4 cups Powdered Sugar

Caramel Drip

• ▢ 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• ▢ ½ Cup Coconut Sugar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Honey
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Topping

• ▢ 8 Figs sliced in half
• ▢ Chopped Walnuts

Instructions

Cake Batter

• Preheat oven to 350°F (176 C). Grease 3 (6-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment.
• Whisk together flour, chai tea, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat together sugar, eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla on medium high.
• Scrape sides and bottom once with spatula to incorporate all ingredients.
• Lower speed and slowly spoon in flour and spice mixture.
• Scrape sides and bottom as needed. Mix until even cake batter forms.
• Fold in apples chunks and fig filling (fig filling optional) with a spatula.
• Divide batter evenly amongst the 3 prepared pans.
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean with only small crumbs.
• Place pans on wire rack to cool for 10 minytes.
• Invert pans and remove cake layers. Let cool Completely.
• Wrap layers in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 45 min,-1 hr to harden. (Makes slicing dome and frosting much easier)

Make Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

• Clean bowl of stand mixer. Using whisk attachment whip butter until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese chunks and cream together until smooth.
• Pour in honey and vanilla, mix on medium low until incorporated.
• Spoon powdered sugar in a cup at a time, mixing until thick white frosting forms.
• Frost and Layer Cake
• Remove layers from freezer.
• Unwrap and Peel the parchment paper from the bottom and set layers face up on counter.
• Take serrated knife and trip the tops of each layer, just enough to create a level surface.
• Grab your cake stand or serving dish and dollup a half dollar size of cream cheese frosting onto the center.
• Place one layer onto cake stand, trimmed side up.
• Spoon and smear a layer of lavender buttercream across the top. Slightly going over the edges.
• Repeat with second layer.
• Add top layer of cake trimmed side down. Cover with maple cream cheese frosting frosting.
• Using an icing spatula fill in open sides with additional frosting.
• Then take a bench scraper in one hand, while holding the cake stand in the other. Gently rotate the cake as you scrape the sides with an angled bench scraper.
• Place cake in refrigerator to set icing before decorating.

Caramel Drip

• Add butter coconut sugar, and honey into a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.
• Stir until sugar dissolves, mixture turns to liquid and starts to bubble.
• Add vanilla extract, continuing to stir.
• (If becomes to thick, add a tsp of milk at a time, but don’t thin it too much. For this recipe I did NOT need any milk added).
• Caramel will thicken as it cools, so make right before decorating.
• Use a spoon or a piping bottle to drip caramel around edges of cake. (See Post for Helpful Tips)

Fig and Walnut Topping

• Sprinkle walnut pieces edges of cake, inside the caramel drip.
• Arrange fig halves in desired pattern.
• Store Cake in the fridge.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

*Nutritional Facts are averaged by all ingredients, you may not use all frosting and caramel drizzle in this recipe.*