Chai Spiced Apple Cake

Pumpkin recipes are everywhere in the Fall, but for me, it’s all about apples. Sweet or tart, fresh or baked, apples are endlessly versatile—perfect in salads, roasted alongside savory dishes, or baked into cozy desserts. This year, I gave my favorite apple cake a little twist by infusing the milk with chai tea and boosting the batter with warm chai spices for extra depth.

Using applesauce instead of butter or oil keeps the cake moist and packed with apple flavor. Dairy-free? No problem—you can easily swap in any plant-based milk and butter for the crumble. I hope you enjoy this spiced apple cake as much as I do!

Chai Spiced Apple Cake

A spiced apple cake with a bold chai twist.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 55-70 minutes
Serving Size: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup milk (see Notes)

5 chia tea bags

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2½ cup gluten free all-purpose flour (see Notes)

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cardamom

⅓ cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 egg

2 apples (see Notes)

Crumb topping

5½ tbsp or 80g cold butter, cubed

½ cup roughly chopped pecans

½ cup gluten free flour (see Notes)

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F 165 C (325 F). Grease a 10-inch round cake or springform pan.

2. In a small saucepan heat the milk on the stove on low heat to a slight simmer. You know it is warm enough when you see small bubbles on the side of the saucepan. Watch it to ensure that it does not boil. Turn off the heat and remove from the stove.

3. Pour the warmed milk into a separate bowl. Steep the chai tea bag in the milk for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix together your dry ingredients, sugars, baking soda, salt, flour, and spices.

5. Once the chai tea has steeped for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags. Add the apple sauce and egg into the bowl and gently whisk to combine.

6. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Ensure there are no clumps of try ingredients.

7. Fold your chopped apples into the cake batter and pour the batter into the greased pan.

8. Make the crumb topping by combining the butter, pecans, flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Using your hands, cut the butter into the mixture by rubbing pieces between your thumbs and fingers. Mix the ingredients together until you have a crumbly texture. Evenly cover the top of the cake batter with the crumb topping.

9. Bake the cake for 55-70 minutes or until it is fully baked and a long toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15-20 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Notes & Tips

1. I used skim milk for this recipe and while untested, other milks should work just fine.

2. I have tested this recipe with many brands of all purpose or 1-1 gluten free baking flours and it has always turned out well.

3. This cake can be made with a variety of apples, depending on availability and what you’re looking for.

   • Honeycrisp – Crisp and juicy, they keep their texture while adding natural sweetness.

   • Braeburn – Firm with a slightly tart flavor, perfect for balancing the spices.

   • Granny Smith – Tart and firm; adds brightness and contrasts the sweetness of brown sugar.

   • Fuji – Sweet and dense, they hold up well and complement warm spices nicely.

   • Gala – Mildly sweet, tender, and reliable; a great all-rounder if you prefer a softer cake texture.