Fluffy and perfectly moist cake layers with warm flavors of chai and espresso, frosted with a creamy vanilla bean buttercream. This really is a dirty chai latte in a cake! So much so that no one would judge if you had some for breakfast.

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Even though I’d worked at Starbucks in the past, I’d never had a dirty chai latte until my sister introduced me to them. We get them from this local Northern California grocery store called Nugget, and I hate that we don’t have one close to us.

Although it’s probably better that way. It would be terrible for my waist line (and bank account) if I could get one every day.

But still, that latte is so darn good that I decided to turn it into a cake for my sister’s birthday. It was everything I’d hoped it would be: fluffy and moist with distinct tastes of espresso, chai spice, and vanilla bean.

In fact, I was very tempted to have some for breakfast. All those latte flavors make it breakfast food, right?

Why this recipe works

This cake uses just the tiniest hint of oil to help keep it moist, while butter helps keep it nice and fluffy. The use of mostly brown sugar also helps keep it nice and moist and adds a deeper, more caramelized flavor to the finished cake. I rarely use all brown sugar, since you want at least a bit of plain sugar to help with the rise of the cake. I also have perfected the adding of flour to this recipe. Since this cake uses the creaming method (as opposed to the blending method in my chocolate cake or the reverse crumb method in my strawberry lemonade cake), you have to alternate adding the liquid and flour at the end. It’s a balancing act for sure, but if you mix it just until combined, leaving some flour along the edges, then do a few quick folds with a spatula, you’re good. In fact, some lumps are okay! They’ll bake out and leave you with the most tender crumb.

Dirty chai latte wise, to get the espresso flavor, I let the powder and milk mix for about an hour, while the milk warmed to room temperature. This helps it dissolve better, since it can clump up when first added to milk. The chai mix is one I’ve worked on quite a bit over the last couple of years, and I think I’m pretty happy with this. However, you could use your own chai spice mix, as long as you have 2 1/2 to 3 teaspoons (or about 1 tablespoon) of chai spice. And that vanilla bean buttercream. Oh my. If it weren’t for the vanilla bean speckles, I’d use this frosting on all the things. It’s that good. There’s something earthy and sweet and vibrant about vanilla bean paste, which takes this from a great frosting to an oh-my-gosh frosting. It adds just the right touch of vanilla and cream to round out the dirty chai latte flavors.

Key ingredients

Flour. Always spoon then level your flour (or weigh it) so you don’t have too much!

Baking powder. Make sure this is fresh or your cake won’t rise well.

Salt. Sea salt is my preference, to give a better flavor.

Chai spice mix. You can use your own or adjust the amounts as desired, but I think this tastes the most like my favorite chai latte.

Butter. Use European style, which has less water, and make sure it’s soft but still matte in appearance, not greasy looking.

Sugar/brown sugar. For taste, moisture, and rise. Who knew?

Eggs. Be sure these are fresh and room temperature.

Oil. Just a touch, to maintain moisture without weighing down the cake.

Vanilla. Because what cake doesn’t have vanilla? Use pure extract, if possible.

Milk. I prefer organic whole milk (weirdly, a group of us parents did a taste test when we realized our children’s organic whole milk tasted way better than the skim we all grew up on in the 90’s).

Espresso powder. I buy mine at our grocery store, but you can get it online here. You can sub very strong coffee or a double shot of espresso—using 1/4 to 1/3 cup of either and replacing that same amount of the milk (so that you have 1 cup total of milk and espresso).

Powdered sugar. Sift if you live in warm climates or are unable to keep an opened back sealed well (leaving it open usually creates clumps that mixing cannot smooth out).

Vanilla bean paste. This makes the frosting and really the entire cake. Don’t skimp! I used to get mine at Trader Joe’s, but when they had a shortage a while back, I switched to this one and still have 3/4 a jar left after over a year.

Heavy whipping cream. Just a bit, to smooth out the frosting and make it nice and fluffy and creamy.

How to make a dirty chai latte cake

1. Mix the milk and espresso powder. This helps it dissolve better, but don’t worry if there are some clumps still when you begin making the cake.

2. Make the chai spice mix. I like this combination, but if you have one in your cupboard or have a combo you prefer, go for it! This has a lot of cinnamon and is cardamom-forward, with just enough spice.

3. Sift and whisk the dry ingredients. Don’t skip the sifting! And always spoon then level your flour to avoid packing it in.

4. Cream the butter and sugars. Make sure it’s nice and fluffy.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and oil. Beat until fluffy after each addition, about 30 seconds each time.

6. Alternate adding the flour and espresso milk. Do this on low and just until it comes together to avoid over mixing.

7. Bake. Check early in case your oven or climate causes it to bake fast.

8. Make the buttercream. Be sure it’s nice and smooth so it goes on the cake nicely. Since it’s a very moist cake, a thicker frosting won’t play nice with it and will make a crumbly outside.

9. Frost cooled cake layers. Make sure they’re completely cool before frosting or you’ll have a messy cake.

Enjoy!

Tips and FAQ’s for this cake

Can I use a frother to dissolve the espresso powder?

Personally, I wouldn’t. A frother infuses air into liquid, so using it would create an unhelpful amount of air in the milk, which would alter the cake’s texture. Whisking the milk and espresso a few times while it warms up is honestly enough, so don’t worry if it looks clumpy at first. If you’re pressed for time or forgot to combine them when you took the milk out, you can always sub very strong coffee or a double shot of espresso.

What if I can’t find espresso powder?

You can buy espresso powder here or instant coffee here. Or, you can replace up to 1/3 cup of the milk with very strong coffee or a double shot of espresso. The goal is to have 1 cup total of espresso milk at the end, so if you’re not using instant, make sure you’ve measured out 1/4 to 1/3 cup espresso/strong coffee and used that much less milk (so 2/3 to 3/4 cup milk), meaning you have 1 cup total.

Can I use my own chai spice?

Sure! Everyone has their own opinion on chai spice mix, and I’ve seen countless options in recipes online. I’ve played around with various ratios over the years and like this one best, but you are welcome to adjust it as desired.

My cake tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making this cake. Affiliate links provided.

Stand mixer or handheld mixer

Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)

All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier as the batter and frosting doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)

Silicone liners for 8” cake (or for 6” cakes)

8” aluminum cake pans or 6” aluminum cake pans (I’ve found nonstick doesn’t bake as evenly)

Cooling rack

Offset spatula for frosting the cake

You might also like:

Vanilla Chai Apple Pear Galette

Eggnog Latte Cake

Buena Vista Irish Coffee Cake

Browned Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ginger Bourbon Peach Spice Cake

Apple Pie Cake

Dirty Chai Latte Cake

Print recipe

prep time: 25-30 minutes
bake time: 25-30 minutes
total time: 1 hour (plus time for the cake layers to cool)

servings: 12-16

Ingredients:

for the chai spice mix

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
small pinch (with your fingers) freshly ground black pepper

for the chai latte cake

1 cup (240g) whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon (3g) good quality instant espresso or instant coffee*
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (289g) flour, spooned then leveled and sifted
2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder, sifted
chai spice mix (from above)
½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
¾ cup (170g) unsalted European style butter, softened**
1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon (13g) avocado oil (or grape seed, vegetable, or canola)
1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract

for the frosting

one batch vanilla bean buttercream

Instructions:

When you take the milk and eggs out to warm up (which takes 30-60 minutes), whisk the milk and espresso powder together and set aside. It will be clumpy at first, so whisk it a few times as it warms up. The espresso should be dissolved by the time you’re ready to bake.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325F/165C. Grease and flour two 8” or 9” or three 6” cake pans (or use baking spray) and line with parchment paper (or use silicone liners).
Make the chai spice by whisking together all spice ingredients in a small bowl. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift and whisk together the flour, baking powder, chai mix, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl or with a hand mixer), beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugars and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway then at the end.
Add in the eggs one at a time, beating on medium until well-blended, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, after each egg. Scrape the bowl and add the oil and vanilla, beating on medium until combined.
Add half of the flour to the bowl and mix on low, just until combined with a few flour streaks left. Add the milk and mix again on low, just until combined. It will seem a little chunky. Add the rest of the flour and mix on low, just until combined and with a few flour streaks on the edge. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold that in as you go. Try to do this in 2-3 large, sweeping strokes and just fold the flour/batter from the sides/bottom back in as you go. It will still have some lumps of flour, but don’t worry, those will bake out.
Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Check early, as oven times vary based on climate, elevation, and even the season. Also, this cake finishes faster than you’d think--you might get raw batter on a toothpick then 3 minutes later it’s done!
Let cakes cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack until completely cooled.
While the cakes cool, make the vanilla bean buttercream. Try not to eat it all with spoon while you wait for the cakes to be fully cooled. ;)
Fill and frost the cake as desired (you can also cut each layer of cake in half to get more frosting in there!).

Enjoy!

If not eating right away, a frosted cake can be kept on the counter for 1-2 days, in the fridge up to 1 week (chill it then cover it well), or frozen up to 1 month (freeze for an hour then cover well with plastic wrap). Keep a cut cake fresh by placing a piece of plastic wrap right against the cut sides then covering the entire cake well with more plastic wrap or in an airtight cake holder.

*If you do not have instant coffee or espresso (or cannot find a high quality one), you can replace ¼ to ⅓ cup of the milk with very strong coffee or espresso. Let it cool slightly before mixing it with the milk and proceeding with the recipe as written.

**Butter should be matte in appearance and should be soft but have some resistance if you press your finger into it. If it is shiny, put in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm it up some. Also, European butter is ideal for cakes because it has less water and makes a better texture.