OK, I took a short break from the kitchen, because I’d made a few massive wedding cakes, and being that focused for that long always makes me feel like I’ve been underground.
Like, why is every TV station showing a Patrick Swayze movie? And where’d all the rotary phones go?
It was time to warrsh the dishes, mop the floor and do something completely different for a while.
So I broke out the crockpot (oh, yes) and let it do the work while I roamed the city, read the latest issue of Oxford American
It was good.
And then something happened. I started getting new ideas for things to make for fall, for tailgating, for Halloween. And I found this recipe for Chai-Apple Pie Coffee Cake, which begged to be made immediately.
With the chai baked into the cake and used to sauté the apples, you get a coffee cake that’s sweet and spicy, moist for days and crumbly. Just right for a low-key rainy day. Or several.
I don’t think a big dollop of bourbon whipped cream would hurt it one bit.
A little bit of feel-good goes a long way.
Now, let’s make something good.
Chai-Apple Pie Coffee Cake
Adapted from Oregon Chai™
Cake:
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup chai tea latte concentrate (recommended: Oregon Chai™ Tea Latte, Original
)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Streusel:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
Apple Topping:
- 2 cups of apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup chai tea latte concentrate
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch baking dish, 9-inch cake pan or a small bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add butter and mix until crumbly, with your fingers or a pastry blender. In a separate bowl, mix together chai concentrate, egg and vanilla. Blend into flour mixture, spoon the mixture into the pan, and spread it with a spatula or knife.
- For the streusel, place 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Pinch together with your fingers until crumbly. Set aside.
- To make the apple topping, sauté apples in 2 tablespoons butter for approximately 2 minutes in a small saucepan. Add chai concentrate, cover and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Spread the streusel on the batter. Spoon apples over the top, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Cool cake on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
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I was going to make a regualar apple pie tonight, but this looks great… and different! Thanks for sharing.
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that cake sounds sooooo good, chai and apple are amazing :D
Mmm, looks delicious! This reminds me of the pear apple cake just posted on Zoe Bakes — similar flavors popping up everywhere! Must be fall! Bookmarking this to try!
Perfect. Yes, you are right.
Oh wow does that look good. I knew I needed to make it just from the title! Not only that, I'll have a cup of chai with it!
This sounds amazing! I love chai and am so ready for Fall. Can't wait to make this!
Everything you bake makes me ravenously hungry. This coffee cake is literally calling my name. DE-licious.
Ooo wow does this ever sound good. Love when Chai tea is used in baking.
I really would like to make this tonight! I used to love Oregon Chai, but now I live in England and can't find the stuff anywhere. Are you using a liquid or powder concentrate? Do you have any ideas on what I could sub instead? Looks more than fabulous, as always!
-Alexandra, afoodcoma.com
Oh how we've missed you! I was getting worried that I'd never see any new recipes or any of your wonderful photos again. Glad to have you back, and thanks for the new posts, I can't wait to try each and every one of them!
Dying to make this, but wondering how it might work using some strongly brewed chai tea instead of buying the concentrate?
[…] this cake comes from the delightful Ezra Pound Cake by the very pretty Rebecca, who seems to be an […]
It's baking in the oven as I comment, can hardly wait, now, just need to brew up some java!!!
Made this over the weekend. It's a very nice coffee cake — as pretty as the picture shown above and has a nice texture (moist on top, cakey below).
I kept the recipe as is for the most part, but added a smidge of dry chai spice powder to the mix, and a bit of cinnamon to the apples while they were cooking and also to the streusel mix.
For my tastes, it could still use a bit more oomph, so if I make it again, I'm going to add still more chai spice to the cake-part of the mix.