Varushka Singh Gopal's Chai Celebration Cake

Varushka Singh Gopal of My Vegetarian Eats https://myvegetarianeats.cooking/ created this Chai Celebration Cake with Saffron Drizzle for us. It will fill your kitchen with the aroma of cardamon and ghee, the colours of saffron and pistachio.

Says Varushka: “This cake on its own is so simple and can be a delicious accompaniment to your weekend teatime treat or you can elevate it to this Celebration cake with the extras.”

Spiced Chai Celebration Cake with Saffron Drizzle and Honeycomb Chards:

The Cake

1 can (385g) Condensed milk

Spiced Chai brewed in 250ml milk (brew 3 Chai teabags or use normal teabags and add tea masala or whole spices – cardamon, cinnamon and cloves)

200g Butter

30g Castor

250g Cake flour

¾ tsp Ground cardamon + a dash of nutmeg + ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp Bicarbonate of soda

2tsp Baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the condensed milk and Chai and incorporate. The mixture may look gluggy but it will all come together.

Sift all your dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gently fold it into wet ingredients.

Whisk to form a smooth batter.

Tip into cake tin like a 20cm Bundt pan, a round or loaf pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 50-60min at 180°C (check at 50min with a skewer).

Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 min before removing from pan to completely cool.

The Drizzle

1/4 cup warm mild with a good pinch of saffron – allow to steep to get a beautiful colour

¼ cup butter

2 cups icing sugar

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the milk and slowly whisk in the icing sugar. As it cools it does thicken making it easier to drizzle.

Honeycomb Chards

200g Castor sugar

5 Tbsp honey

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Before starting, get all your ingredients out

Line a bowl (roasting pan) with baking paper in readiness for the honeycomb.

In a high pot, pour the sugar and honey (distribute evenly around the base). Do not be tempted to stir – leave it alone to melt undisturbed.

Once fully dissolved, allow the sugar to gain a deep caramel colour

Add your 2 tsp of bicarb , give the mixture 2 mixes to fully activate , the mix will foam up and rise quite quickly , immediately pour the contents into your prepared lined dish.

Allow to settle and set before enjoying.