Happy Birthday Ping : Chai Cake with Honey & Ginger Creamcheese

Another happy birthday party ! Ping is my housemate who helps me a lot when I first arrived Sydney. So I made this cake with love .. lol

The candle is so cute, made my cake looks much nicer.

This cake was found when I randomly browsed the website.. It is the recipe from Sky high which was made by lots of blog bakers. They all confirmed how good of the cake is..

Chai Cake with Honey Ginger Creamcheese

(From Sky High:Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne) Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake; serves 12-16 ( I used the bundt tin)

Cake

1 and 1/3 cups milk

6 chai tea bags, without added sweetner, such as Tazo ( I used 8 bags of Dilmah Masala Chai)

4 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

2 tsps vanilla extract

2 and 3/4 cups cake flour (I used 260 g of plain flour)

2 cups (360 g) sugar ( I used 300 g, sweet enough)

4 and 1/2 tsps of baking powder

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamom ( I didn't add)

1/2 tsp salt

8 ounces (226 g) unsalted butter at room temp.

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of the pans and line with parchment paper. Grease the paper as well.

1. In a small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer over low med-low heat. Add the tea bags, careful not to let the paper tag fall into the milk. Remove from heat and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the teabags and squeeze out the milk. Let the chai milk cool completely.

2. In a medium bowl mix the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and 1/3 cup of the chai milk. Whisk together.

3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Beat on low for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining chai milk, on med-low speed.

4. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg mixture in three additions scraping the between additions. Divide the batter evenly among the pans.

5. Bake the cakes for 26-28 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes.Remove cakes from pans and peel off parchment paper. Cool completely.

To assemble the cake place one layer flat side down a serving plate and top with 2/3 cup of icing. Spread to the edge and repeat with second layer. Place third layer on top and spread the remaining ginger cream on top allowing it to drizzle down the sides of the cake like icicles.

Honey & Ginger Creamcheese

2 and 1/2 cups (325 g) confectioners sugar (I put only 80 g)

6 ounces (170 g) cream cheese at room temp. (I put 250 g)
6 tbps unsalted butter at room temp.

1/2 cup (170 g) honey (any kind as long as liquid)

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 and 1/2 tbsp finely minced crystalized ginger

*(I add about 2 tbps of lemon juice)

Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to blend together, then scrape the sides of the bowl and pulse until smooth.

** Note : If you follow the recipe will be way too sweet. Even as you can see, I reduced lots of sugar in the frosting.. still very sweet so I add some lemon juice to cut down sweetness.

The masking, I think it can be done nicer.


With Ping...

Smile !

After burn the candle and took lots of pictures, the cake became so colourful and scary..haha

Verdict : I really like the cake.. At first when saw recipe, I was a bit worried about mixing process because they mix the dry ingredients with butter and some milk first. This way I have never done before but it turned out nicely. The cake was very soft and dense. The smell was not so strong, I think it depends on the type of the tea you use. I would prefer to add more tea bags and if put cardamon, it should be nicer. At home, people in the party, some prefer cake, some prefer frosting lol.

I took the leftover cake to school ( I hope there were leftover because that night we were too full not because its not good :P) Kimmy, Nicole and Billy like it. They said the smell was already ok. Kimmy really likes the cake and think that I should put less honey in the frosting cuz when eat together, the honey is too overpowering the flavour and couldn't smell Chai.

It will be another my favourite recipe !