Chai Oatmeal Cake with Chai Glaze
Chai oatmeal cake made with a chai tea latte, honey, oats and pumpkin pie spice, topped with an easy chai glaze. A cozy fall snack cake.
If I could use only one word to describe this chai oatmeal cake, I would pick “cozy.” It is all thigs fall in a 9×9 pan!
For this recipe, I first soak the oats in hot chai tea latte, then stir the oats into a batter sweetened with honey and pumpkin pie spice. This cake bakes up super moist with a beautiful crumb, and I think the easy chai glaze topping makes it feel like a coffee shop treat.
If you love an old-fashioned oatmeal cake, this recipe is very similar with a homey chai tea twist!
Why you’ll love this chai oatmeal cake
There are many reasons to love this oatmeal cake recipe! Here are a few:
- Ridiculously moist. Soaking the oats in hot chai keeps moisture throughout the batter.
- Pantry staples. Oats, flour, honey, butter and spices. The chai latte concentrate is the only thing you might need to buy, unless you already enjoy chai lattes at home!
- Not too sweet. Honey gives it a mellow, rounded sweetness rather than a sharp, bright sweetness.
- One bowl. This recipe is technically a snack cake, which is just code for “easy”. No layers, no specialty tools, no piping, no fuss.
Chai spice cake ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cake recipe:
- Chai tea latte concentrate. I used Yogi Organic Chai Tea Latte. Any boxed chai concentrate works, or you can brew 2 strong chai tea bags in 1 cup milk.
- Quick oats. They soften fast in the hot chai. Old-fashioned oats work but leave more texture in the cake.
- All-purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
- Pumpkin pie spice. This doubles down on the warm chai flavors. No pumpkin pie spice? I’ve got you! Use 1 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ginger and a pinch each of nutmeg and cloves.
- Butter, sugar and honey.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs mix in best.
How to make chai oatmeal cake
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Soak the oats. Pour the hot chai over the oats, stir and set aside while you make the batter.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- Cream the wet ingredients. Beat the melted butter, sugar, honey and eggs until smooth. I used a stand mixer to make this hands free.
- Combine. Add the flour mixture a spoonful at a time, stirring after each addition. Then, fold in the soaked oatmeal.
- Bake. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and glaze. Cool for at least 30 minutes. Whisk the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the top.
The chai glaze is optional, but it is delightful! I do recommend making it, especially since it’s so quick to put together.
I whisk powdered sugar with a splash of milk and the cold chai concentrate. It should be thick, but still pourable. You can add more powdered sugar to make it thicker, or more liquid to thin it out. Up to you!
Tips for the best oatmeal cake
This recipe is pretty easy, but there are a few tips I’d like to share with you to make sure it’s a success!
- Don’t skip the soak. Soaking the oats for ten minutes in hot chai is what makes the crumb so soft.
- Low and slow. Honey browns quickly, so bake at the low temp of 325 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the top from getting too dark before the middle sets.
- Check the cake early. Ovens vary depending on elevation. Start checking the cake for doneness at 45 minutes.
- Only glaze a cool cake. If the cake is warm, the glaze melts and soaks in instead of setting on the top.
Serving suggestions
This spiced cake is perfect with a warm mug of chai, coffee or apple cider. For brunch, pair it with my apple cider mimosas.
If you’d like to add some complimentary items to the spread, I recommend my Pumpkin Crumble Muffins, Pumpkin Squares, Apple Baked Oatmeal, or Breakfast Bundt Cake!
Storing leftover cake
Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or in the fridge up to 5 days.
If unglazed, the cake freezes well for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly. Thaw and glaze before serving.
FAQ
Yes, you can. Make sure to grease the pan very well, and start checking for doneness around 45 minutes.
Yes, you can. Steep 2 chai tea bags in 1 cup of hot milk.
Sort of! It uses the same method of soaking oats, but I switched up the flavors with the chai, honey and pie spice instead of the normal coconut topping.
I hope that you love this cozy chai oatmeal cake! if you make it, I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below.
Chai Oatmeal Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 cup chai tea latte concentrate, hot
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 large eggs
Chai glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon chai tea latte concentrate, cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Place the oats in a small bowl. Pour the hot chai over the top, stir and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the melted butter, sugar, honey and eggs until well blended.
- Add the flour mixture a heaping spoonful at a time, stirring after each addition until combined.
- Fold in the oatmeal mixture.
- Pour into the prepared pan. Bake about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool at least 30 minutes. For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, milk and cold chai until smooth, adjusting with more sugar or liquid as needed.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, slice and serve.
