Browned Butter Chai Spice Bundt Cake
This Browned Butter Chai Spice Bundt Cake is moist with rich fall chai spice flavor! With rich caramel notes from the browned butter, topped with a salted caramel glaze. This easy bundt cake will be a go to cake recipe for the entire family to enjoy all fall or for the holidays!
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TELL ME ABOUT THIS BROWNED BUTTER CHAI SPICE BUNDT CAKE
This easy browned butter chai bundt cake recipe is rich with warm chai spice flavors and is baked in a bundt pan. Because the cake is dense, a bundt pan is required to prevent the cake from sinking. Bundt pans come with different designs and can make a really beautiful display for holiday brunch or dessert!
WHAT IS CHAI SPICE?
This easy cake is full of chai spice and fall flavors!
Chai Spice is a warm fall spice that consists of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and all spice which means it pairs beautifully with caramel flavors. We made our own homemade chai mixture using these spices. Combining it with brown butter adds a depth of flavor like nothing you’ve tasted before! Making the browned butter is 1,0000% worth the extra step.
WHAT IS BROWNED BUTTER?
Browned butter is butter that is cooked down and the milk fats begin to caramelize and form brown speckles known as brown butter. It adds rich caramel notes to any baking.
It does require planning this recipe a few hours ahead of time. Once the butter is melted, it needs 45 minutes- 1 hour to come back to room temperature and re-solidify so that it can be creamed with the sugars.
This cake is perfect for the holidays too! Bundt cakes are so easy to make with no decorating required and the sweetened condensed milk combined with the sour cream in the chai cake recipe adds so much moisture that it stays fresh for several days!
For more fall spiced desserts you may want to try our Chai Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze, Spice Sheet Cake or Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake.
This post is sponsored by Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, but all opinions are my own.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT BROWNED BUTTER CHAI SPICE CAKE
- Using a can of Eagle Brand Milk as a replacement for milk gives the cake added moisture and a silky smooth caramel glaze!
- Always use Room Temperature Ingredients. Set eggs in a bowl to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Take the butter to soften for 1 hour.
- Measure Flour Accurately– Always scoop flour with a spoon into measuring cup and level off with a knife for the most accurate measurement (unless you have scale at home). Tips on how to properly measure are on our Instagram Reel videos!
- Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are not expired. They can expire within 4-6 months so I always write the date I open the box. This may impact your cake from rising properly!
HOW CAN I PREVENT THE CAKE FROM STICKING TO THE BUNDT PAN?
Tip 1: The key to preventing the cake from sticking to the pan is by brushing the inside (into all of the nooks and crannies) with 1 tablespoon of melted butter, vegetable shortening or oil. Use a pastry brush or paper towel, then lightly dust the greased pan with an even layer of flour. Dust off excess flour into the garbage.
Tip 2: Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT invert your cake pan right after it comes out of the oven. Place the cake pan on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes to cool in the pan. Then flip the cake pan over and your cake will easily come out!
CAN I MAKE THIS CHAI BUNDT CAKE AHEAD OF TIME?
Absolutely! In fact, I almost always make my cakes weeks and months in advance. Follow the baking timeline below:
Browned Butter: the browned butter can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator a week in advance.
Cake: the cake should be served and enjoyed within 3 days of baking for optimal freshness. Store in an airtight container or wrap individual pieces in cling wrap and freeze. Or you can bake and freeze the cake up to 3 months in advance.
HOW SHOULD I STORE AND FREEZE MY BUNDT CAKE?
The cake can also be baked 24 hours before serving or it can be made up to 3 months in advance and place in the freezer. Before freezing, wrap in cling/plastic wrap twice and then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag. This will prevent the cake from freezer burn.
If you are serving the cake from frozen, take the cake out of the freezer 24 hours before you plan on serving. Make the glaze and pour over the cake once its fully thawed.
I hope this recipe can become a staple fall dessert for you and your family to enjoy and create new traditions in the kitchen!
I hope this recipe can become a staple fall dessert for you and your family to enjoy and create new traditions in the kitchen!
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Happy baking and EAT MORE CAKE!
Browned Butter Chai Spice Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch or 10 inch bundt pan
- Mixer
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- Spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients
Chai Spice Bundt Cake Recipe
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup browned butter *see instructions *Substitute listed in NOTES
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 1/2 teaspoon chai spice *see chai spice recipe
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk 7oz can
- 1/2 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chai Spice Mix
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cardamom
- 2 teaspoons cloves
- 2 teaspoons all-spice
- 2 teaspoons nutmeg
Salted Caramel Glaze
- 1/2 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Chai Spice Bundt Cake Directions
- To create the brown butter: In a medium saucepan- melt 1/2 cup butter on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. After 3-4 minutes of boiling, foam will begin to form. After another 2-3 minutes, the foam will separate and brown speckles will appear at the bottom of the pan. Swirl the pan a few times to ensure the brown speckles have formed and take the butter off the heat and pour in a medium glass bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool and solidify for 1-2 hours. To speed up the process- place in the freezer for 30 minutes then sit out to come to room temperature. You want the butter to be solidified yet spreadable and softened.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Prepare a 9 inch or 10 inch bundt pan by brushing the inside (into all of the nooks and crannies) with 1 tablespoon of melted butter or vegetable shortening or oil and a pastry brush or paper towel, then lightly dust the buttered pan with an even layer of flour- dust off excess flour into trash can (not sink).
- In a medium bowl- combine all-purpose flour, chai spice, baking powder, salt and whisk to combine. Set aside
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment- beat butter(s) and sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a medium bowl- combine sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk. Whisk until combined. Add wet mixture to the butter(s) & sugar mixture and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until combined. May look lumpy or curdled but it will come together once you add the flour.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds- careful to not over mix the batter. Stop the mixer when a few ribbons of flour are visible and finish by folding the batter with a spatula.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50-55 min. Or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes in the pan before turning the cake pan upside down to release the cake. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.
- To prepare the glaze: In a medium saucepan on medium combine the sweetened condensed milk, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat and add vanilla and confectioners sugar- whisk until smooth. Immediately pour glaze over the bundt cake and serve.
Notes
I made this for thanksgiving and it was a huge hit among my family! Candace does an incredible job at creating easy follow directions, I even added a couple granny smith apples and it tasted delicious! I can’t wait to make this again soon.
So much flavor! Light texture. Just delicious!
The bundt pan has to be 10-12 cup??
10 or 12 inch bundt pan. Apologies for the typo!
I made this, and it turned out fabulous! But I made it healthier. All the fat is really unnecessary to get great results! In the cake, I substituted the full fat sour cream with 0% fat fage Greek yogurt, which still offers that tangy relief to the sugar. Instead of 1 cup butter, I kept the 1/2 cup brown butter (but would likely reduce that to 1/4 cup if I make this again), then did 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce. For the caramel, I halved the recipe and it still coated much of the cake. It came out perfect… moist, soft and delicious.
Thank you for the feedback- I’m so glad you were able to make a healthier version successfully!
Hi! I made this cake last night and it was a HIT! OH my goodness! Very flavorful and tasty However, one small change to the recipe instructions.
In step 4 &5 it should say add the butter(s) plural. I had made the brown butter and I had forgotten to put in the batter, because I was so focused on just adding the right ingredients in the correct order.
The cake was a hit!
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thank you for the feedback on the recipe card. Updated 🙂
Huge Thanksgiving hit. Made exactly as written. One of the few cake recipes I will make again. So good!
I’m so glad to hear- thank you for the feedback!
Just made this for thanksgiving. I had a bit of a difficult time with the glaze as I’ve never made anything like it before, but it tastes great! The brown butter was incredible and I’m so glad I did that extra work. This recipe is so packed with flavor but not at all in an overwhelming way. It was a huge hit.
I think my one question would be (& may have missed it in the blog somewhere) – I knew I was making two so I double the brown butter and poured into one container. When I went to get half. Cup (113g), it was more than half what I had. Obviously it reduced while cooking. So is it 1/2 cup of butter to start and use whatever remains or does it need 1/2 cup total after cooking (so cook more than 1/2 cup if that makes sense). I did it by adding 113g of brown butter and 113g unsalted butter, and it turned out great both times!
Hi Mei,
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe! Correct, you want to start with 1/2 cup of butter and it will reduce as you cook it. This is why the recipe also calls for 1/2 cup of unsalted butter that is not browned. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the reply! Next time I’ll be sure to do it that way. The extra brown butter didn’t hurt though 😉 I was asked to make this again for Christmas!
I made this and it turned out great, however I realized I never added the ginger. The ingredients call for it, but the ginger is nowhere in the baking description. When are you to add the ginger? Again, it was great and fine without, but I think it would be a great touch.
The ginger is an ingredient in the chai spice mix and the chai spice is added into the dry ingredients, as indicated in the baking description. Hope that helps
I just finished making this for Thanksgiving tomorrow and it came out amazing! I do have a question regarding the glaze though: can I make it and pour it over the cake before we go to our family’s house? Or should I make it, bring it in a separate container and warm it up before serving?
I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment sooner. You can add the glaze at anytime, the glaze will set so it depends on if you prefer a warm glaze or one that is set.
I’m making this as the base layer of a 3-tier bundt wedding cake. I’m also making mini bundts with this recipe. We have to travel for this wedding so I’m making ahead of time, freezing and assembling the day of the wedding. Can I make the glaze ahead of time and microwave to warm it up and pour over that day?
Amazing! I haven’t tested the glaze by reheating but perhaps make a small batch and test it out before you travel.
Hi , can you make make black tea spices and add it in the wet ingredients ?
I haven’t tested the recipe this way but you can certainly try! I would suggest adding dry tea spices into the dry ingredients first. Good luck!