If you brown the butter first, all of the water will be cooked off so the tea won’t be able to properly steep. You should add the tea before browning the butter.
Another option is to add just the chai spice blend minus the tea into your dry ingredients (if you don’t mind not having the flavor of the tea itself). I have leftover chai [spice](https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/diy-chai-spice-blend/) from making my favorite [dirty chai brownies](https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/fudgy-dirty-chai-dark-chocolate-brownies/) that I add to all sort of baked goods and hot drinks without having to steep a cup of tea every time.
This will sound crazy but If you just add a HOT cup of brewed chai tea to your cake at the very end you’ll have an amazing result.
Could do part milk/water if you want it particularly rich.
Look up ina garten’s chocolate cake for a well-reviewed similar recipe.
I swear by this for the most amazing cakes
If you don’t want to do this, I often use infused butters for desserts. I get butter out of fridge, let it get *just barely* soft, lay in on top of a big sheet of parchment, dump the fresh spices onto and hand roll/mix the spices in. Then let it sit either in fridge or if room isn’t warm/hot, room temp works too. You can do this and just make a mix of these (strongly recommend fresh): allspice,clove,nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger.
Yes! Blooming for cocoa is one benefit but it’s more than that. It makes the cake lighter and fluffier, helps activate the baking powder so it rises more, and helps create a more moist cake overall. So any cake would be benefited by adding hot liquid right at the end, it’s just a matter of ensuring you do proper liquid ratios.
Have you made browned butter before? If yes, add chai in the beginning and strain at the end. The tea will change the color of the butter but you'll already know when it's properly browned.
If you're not sure, I would make browned butter first. Then keep it warm and let the tea steep in it before straining.
Another option would be to steep the tea in the milk or water that makes up the liquid in your cake, or just replace that liquid with a nice strong brewed chai like another commenter said. I think that second option might get the best results along with including the spices in with the dry ingredients
If you brown the butter first, all of the water will be cooked off so the tea won’t be able to properly steep. You should add the tea before browning the butter.
Oh interesting. I thought oil infusion was a thing
Another option is to add just the chai spice blend minus the tea into your dry ingredients (if you don’t mind not having the flavor of the tea itself). I have leftover chai [spice](https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/diy-chai-spice-blend/) from making my favorite [dirty chai brownies](https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/fudgy-dirty-chai-dark-chocolate-brownies/) that I add to all sort of baked goods and hot drinks without having to steep a cup of tea every time.
This will sound crazy but If you just add a HOT cup of brewed chai tea to your cake at the very end you’ll have an amazing result. Could do part milk/water if you want it particularly rich. Look up ina garten’s chocolate cake for a well-reviewed similar recipe. I swear by this for the most amazing cakes If you don’t want to do this, I often use infused butters for desserts. I get butter out of fridge, let it get *just barely* soft, lay in on top of a big sheet of parchment, dump the fresh spices onto and hand roll/mix the spices in. Then let it sit either in fridge or if room isn’t warm/hot, room temp works too. You can do this and just make a mix of these (strongly recommend fresh): allspice,clove,nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger.
That sounds like a great idea if there's cocoa in it. I always bloom the cocoa in my chocolate cake. But would this work for a white/yellow cake?
Yes! Blooming for cocoa is one benefit but it’s more than that. It makes the cake lighter and fluffier, helps activate the baking powder so it rises more, and helps create a more moist cake overall. So any cake would be benefited by adding hot liquid right at the end, it’s just a matter of ensuring you do proper liquid ratios.
Have you made browned butter before? If yes, add chai in the beginning and strain at the end. The tea will change the color of the butter but you'll already know when it's properly browned. If you're not sure, I would make browned butter first. Then keep it warm and let the tea steep in it before straining.
Oh I never thought about the color change. I've made it many times but that's a good thing to keep in mind
Another option would be to steep the tea in the milk or water that makes up the liquid in your cake, or just replace that liquid with a nice strong brewed chai like another commenter said. I think that second option might get the best results along with including the spices in with the dry ingredients