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Spiced Apple & Cinnamon Chai Tea Cake

By • Updated August 2026
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This Spiced Apple & Cinnamon Chai Tea Cake is the perfect bridge between summer and autumn, celebrating August's first crisp apples with the warming spice of masala chai. Baked in a bundt tin, the cake develops a gorgeously golden crust while staying tender and moist inside, with pockets of sweet caramelised apple and the aromatic warmth of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. It's a show-stopping centrepiece that slices beautifully and tastes even better the next day.

The secret is brewing a strong chai concentrate to infuse the batter, then layering in freshly ground chai spices for maximum flavour. The bundt tin's central tube conducts heat through the middle of the batter, ensuring even baking and that signature ridged silhouette. If you've been wondering about the difference between whole and crushed spices, this recipe benefits from both—whole spices in the tea, ground in the batter.

Spiced Apple & Cinnamon Chai Tea Cake
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time50 mins
ServingsServes 10–12
DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

  • 200 ml Whole Milk
  • 3 Black Tea Bags (Assam or English Breakfast)
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick, broken
  • 6 Cardamom Pods, lightly crushed
  • 3 Eating Apples (e.g. Braeburn or Cox), peeled, cored and diced into 1 cm cubes
  • 50 g Unsalted Butter (plus extra for greasing)
  • 75 g Light Brown Soft Sugar (for apples)
  • 225 g Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 225 g Light Brown Soft Sugar
  • 4 large Eggs, at room temperature
  • 300 g Self-Raising Flour
  • 1½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
  • ½ tsp Ground Cardamom
  • ¼ tsp Fine Sea Salt
Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 385
Fat: 18g
Sugar: 28g
Protein: 5g

Instructions

1
Brew Chai: Bring the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan with the tea bags, cinnamon stick and crushed cardamom pods. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve, pressing the tea bags to extract maximum flavour. Set aside to cool completely.
2
Caramelise Apples: Melt 50 g butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced apples and 75 g brown sugar, then cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and golden. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool.
3
Prepare Tin: Preheat your oven to 170°C (150°C fan)/Gas 3. Generously butter every crevice of a 2.4-litre (10-inch) bundt tin, paying special attention to the central tube and decorative ridges. Dust lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
4
Make Batter: In a large bowl, beat 225 g softened butter and 225 g sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Sift in the flour, ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt. Pour in the cooled chai-infused milk and fold gently until just combined. Fold through three-quarters of the caramelised apples, reserving the rest.
5
Fill & Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt tin and smooth the top. Scatter the reserved caramelised apples over the surface, pressing them lightly into the batter. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The cake should be golden and springy to the touch.
6
Cool & Turn Out: Leave the cake in the tin for 15 minutes to firm up, then carefully invert onto a wire rack. If any apple pieces stick to the tin, simply press them back onto the warm cake. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

🫖 Equipment You'll Need

A good-quality bundt tin is essential for this recipe because its distinctive fluted design and central tube create more surface area for caramelisation, giving you a beautifully golden crust on every slice while the hollow centre ensures the dense, moist batter bakes evenly all the way through. Non-stick coatings and heavy-gauge metal make the difference between a showstopper and a frustrating stuck cake.

See our bundt tin picks →

Expert Tip: Boost the Chai Flavour

For an even more intense chai note, replace the tea bags with 2 tablespoons of loose-leaf Assam chai and add a few black peppercorns and a slice of fresh ginger to the milk. Strain thoroughly to avoid any gritty bits in your batter.

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