The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
Chai (chī): a type of Indian tea, made by boiling the black tea leaves with milk, sugar, and cardamom.
November is my favorite month for many reasons—- autumn leaves, Thanksgiving pecan pies, pumpkin patches, and, my Indian heart’s favorite, chai. As a devoted, die-hard chai drinker, I am always excited to test out our local coffee shops’ takes on the beverage; however, nothing beats my mother’s very own homemade version before or after a long day of studying. As I sought desperately to recreate the comforting warm tea I grew up on here in Gainesville, I realized I was only at the beginning of my journey. Chai slowly became a staple flavor in my baking routine— from cakes to cinnamon rolls to cream cheese, I’ve chaid it all. Today I’m here to share with you my favorite chai-flavored baked goods for a crisp autumn day.
Pumpkin Bagels + Chai Cream Cheese:
My roommate and I were recently flooded with TikToks of a viral New York bagel bakery selling pumpkin-shaped bagels. After a long debate on whether a $400 dollar direct flight to JFK was reasonable for a bagel, we decided we could bring the bakery to our kitchen. Grabbing our red, green, and orange food coloring, we set to work creating a classic bagel dough.
Dough:
- 1 cup warm milk 250 ml
- 4 tbs soft butter 60 g
- 2 tbs honey
- 1 egg white
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
After combining the ingredients, separate ¼ cup of dough in a different bowl and add in the green food coloring. In the rest of the dough, add red and yellow food coloring until the dough reaches the desired orange color. Let the dough sit for 1 hour, and then begin assembling your pumpkins. We used non-waxed, unflavored dental floss to create the sections of the pumpkin, as seen below, but yarn or thread might work better.
After assembling your pumpkins, they should sit to rise for 30 additional minutes. Next up, boil a pot of water and place the pumpkins in the water for 1 minute on each side. Finally, bake at 400 F for 15 minutes!
Now for the chai part:
What would a pumpkin bagel be without its chai cream cheese filling?
In a bowl, add:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground allspice
Mix together and spread on bagels for the most festive and delicious treat of the fall.
Chai Cake:
This is my favorite take on tres leches, but make it tres layers of chai! With a perfectly spiced chai cake, soaked in chai milk, and topped with a brown butter chai frosting, this dessert will leave your mouth watering for a second slice.
Chai Cake:
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Combine ingredients for the base of the chai cake.
Chai Milk Soak:
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 chai tea bags
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Soak cake in milk
Brown butter chai frosting:
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Combine and lather on top of a cooled cake base.
For a more detailed recipe, we followed:
https://inbloombakery.com/chai-cake/
Chai Cinnamon Rolls:
There is no better combination than chai and cinnamon. These gooey rolls filled with a brown sugar chai filling, lathered in a chai cream cheese icing, and drenched in a sugar chai sauce outshined the competition as my favorite recipe this season.
Dough:
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter
Combine and let the dough rise.
Sugar chai sauce:
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 chai tea bags
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Combine and lather at the base of the pan before placing cinnamon rolls.
Chai filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Spread across dough before rolling for a perfect sugary interior.
Chai cream cheese icing:
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 oz cream cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground allspice
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
Layer on top of freshly baked rolls and serve!
For more detailed instructions, we followed the amazing recipe by:
https://inbloombakery.com/chai-cinnamon-rolls
Give it a Chai
For many people, Thanksgiving is just a road bump on the way to Christmas, but as a turkey day enthusiast, I encourage all my readers to find the fun in fall. Whether you are spending this season in a library or raking leaves, the aroma of chai treats wafting through your kitchen is the perfect way to set the mood. And as always, please remember: don’t hate it before you chai it!!!