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Home » Cake & Cupcakes » Chai Tea Crumb Cake

Chai Tea Crumb Cake

Published: Feb 6, 2017 · Modified: May 3, 2023 by Allison · 28 Comments

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Tea Cake Recipe – A tender cake infused with chai tea and chai spices, finished with a crumb topping and lightly spiced icing. Absolutely perfect with a cup of tea.

This Chai Tea Crumb Cake was created as part of a shop that has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are my own. 

Slice of crumb cake.

One of my favorite things in the world? A cake that’s versatile enough to be served any time of day.

Breakfast…brunch…afternoon snack…post-dinner treat. Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Crumb cake drizzled with icing.

This cake will come to the rescue in any and all situations when you need something sweet, cozy and comforting. A combination of a spice cake and a crumb cake that’s filled with the warm flavors and spices of chai tea.

This cake is thick and tender with a crunchy, crumbly topping. It’s lightly spiced, perfectly sweet and it warms you from the inside out.

Slice of crumb cake.

In order to get plenty of chai flavor into this cake I make a spice blend which gets put into the cake, the crumb topping, and the icing. To the cake batter, I also add milk that has been infused with Bigelow Vanilla Chai Tea.

Cake and tea on a table.

Bigelow is my tea of choice not only for baking but for drinking, too. I always have tea in my pantry for the mid-afternoon push I need to get through the rest of my day.

Crumb cake topped with icing.

Make yourself a cup of tea and settle in; these big squares of soul-satisfying cake are filled with everything you need.

Slice of crumb cake.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: CHAI SPICE COOKIE BARS, ALMOND COCONUT CHAI OATMEAL, CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

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Recipe

Slice of crumb cake.

Chai Tea Crumb Cake

A tender cake infused with chai tea and chai spices, finished with a crumb topping and lightly spiced icing.
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 14
Calories: 502kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Topping:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons chai spice, see note
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Cake:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 Bigelow Vanilla Chai tea bags
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 3 ½ cups all purpose flour, see note
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons chai spice, see note

Icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon chai spice, see note
  • 2-3 teaspoons milk

Instructions

Topping:

  • In a small bowl, combine flour, sugars, chai spice and salt. Add melted butter and stir until combined. Set aside.

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside.
  • Place 1 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat milk until it just begins to simmer, then remove from the heat and immediately add 4 tea bags. Set aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, continue with the cake.
  • Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar for several minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla extract. Add sour cream and beat until combined.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and chai spice. 
  • Once the milk and tea have steeped for 10 minutes, remove the tea bags, gently squeezing them into the milk to extract additional flavor. Discard the tea bags.
  • To the butter mixture, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the chai milk, mixing well after each addition. I beat in ⅓ of the dry ingredients, ½ the milk, ⅓ dry ingredients, remaining milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Once the batter is fully combined pour it into the prepared pan. Crumble the topping over the top of the batter, pressing some of it between your fingers to form clumps. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • In a small bowl, stir together all the icing ingredients. Add more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary, to get your desired consistency. Allow the cake to cool slightly then drizzle the icing over the cake. Serve warm. 

Notes

Proper flour measuring: Use the measuring cup to fluff the flour. Scoop the flour (don’t pack it in) and level it with the back of a knife. 
Chai spice: You can purchase this as a spice blend, or you can make your own by combining: 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and 3 teaspoons ground ginger. This will make more than what you will need for this recipe. Store it in your spice cabinet and use it for other recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 502kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 640IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Oriana @Mommy's Home Cooking

    February 07, 2017 at 1:28 pm

    5 stars
    I love anything with chai!! I want to reach out and grab that piece, right out of my computer screen. Looks soooo good!

    Reply
  2. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats

    February 07, 2017 at 4:55 pm

    Loving that crumb topping! This sounds like the perfect bite to have with a cup of coffee or tea!

    Reply
  3. nicole taggart

    February 08, 2017 at 6:10 am

    I am such of big fan of crumb cake. This chai version sounds incredible.
    totally pinning this!

    Reply
  4. Ricky Adams

    February 20, 2017 at 5:04 am

    How many calories?

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      February 20, 2017 at 11:10 am

      Hi, Ricky. I do not provide nutritional information for my recipes. There are several online calculators you can use if you’d like to get an estimate. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  5. Judy

    February 21, 2017 at 5:43 am

    Where can I purchase Chai spice?

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      February 21, 2017 at 1:09 pm

      Hi, Judy. King Arthur Flour and Amazon both sell chai spice blends. I make my own. I have the recipe listed in the notes section of the Chai Tea Crumb Cake recipe.

      Reply
  6. lisa

    April 22, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    5 stars
    I made this for Easter and it was outstanding. I didn’t have sour cream on hand but substituted full fat greek yogurt instead and it worked thankfully. Since this was for adults, I put a half cup of milk and a half cup of Rumchata with the chai tea bags. This cake was delicious. The chai taste was just enough without being overpowering. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      April 23, 2017 at 1:06 pm

      I’m so glad that you liked it! The Rumchata addition sounds AMAZING! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  7. Danielle

    March 19, 2018 at 12:47 am

    5 stars
    Anything chai is good with me. This looks like the perfect cosy afternoon treat.

    Reply
  8. Brian Jones

    March 19, 2018 at 12:49 am

    5 stars
    Oh my that sounds superb, I love a crumb topping on cakes, the texture is always a treat!

    Reply
  9. Linda Nortje

    March 19, 2018 at 12:51 am

    5 stars
    Love your Chai tea cake ! This will go so well with my 10am tea, which is also when I normally have my breakfast 🙂

    Reply
  10. Cristie @ Little Big H

    March 19, 2018 at 12:57 am

    5 stars
    I love that this recipe has chai in it. It sounds and looks divine.

    Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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