Chai Spiced Carrot Loaf Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Don’t miss this chai spiced carrot loaf cake. This is the winter treat recipe you need in your back pocket. Perfect for a couple reasonsL it’s a loaf cake which just takes the pressure off and it perfectly marries a spicy chai latte and a sweet cinnamon carrot cake. It’s so good.

I stumbled across a picture of a similar cake on Instagram this fall and immediately set about making my own version. I LOVE chai tea and carrot cake so I knew it was a match made in heaven. The homemade chai mix smells so good, I almost just want to mix it with hot water and sip it. I ended up making a few of these loaf cakes throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas season just for an excuse to use up the chai mix. The cream cheese frosting with a hint of chai spice doesn’t hurt either.

Chai Spiced Carrot Loaf Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

For the Cake:

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

• 2 large eggs

• 2 cups shredded carrots

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon chai spice mix*

• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt (OR sour cream)

• Chai Spiced Cream Cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil and sugars, mixing until sugars are dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs to the bowl and whisk to combine. Gently folding shredded carrots.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chai spice mix. Whisk to combine. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold together. Stir int he greek yogurt and continue to mix. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for approximately 60 to 70 minutes or until the loaf cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Lift the parchment paper away from the pan, gently lifting the cake out of the pan. Place it on a cooling rack and let it continue to cool fully. Once cooled, frost with the chai spiced cream cheese frosting. To serve, slice into 8 thick pieces.

Homemade Chai Mix:

• 3 tablespoons ground ginger

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon allspice

• 1 tablespoon cardamom

• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cloves

Combine all the dried spices in a small glass jar with a lid. Use a spoon to mix well. Store extras in your pantry.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 cup softened butter

• 4 ounces room temperature cream cheese

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 tablespoon chai spice mix

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, cream cheese and brown sugar. Whip on high for two minutes until butter and cream cheese are well-mixed and light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well incorporated. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, mixing slowly at first. Add chai spice mixture and mix on high until frosting is light and fluffy. Add a tablespoon or two of milk if frosting is too thick for your liking. Liberally frost chai carrot cake. Store extras in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.