TEENY MCMUNN: MY RECIPE BOX

This is a recipe I found on King Arthur Flour Facebook post. "This perfectly tender cake mimics the flavors of a cup of ever-popular chai tea." When I asked Judy at Rooster's Brew what was the most popular drink, she said Chai Tea. This recipe has almost three tablespoons of spices and does taste like Chai Tea, from what I remember since it's been awhile since I have had it.

It seemed the perfect time to make it for the coffee hour at church and get their reviews before I decided if it would be the recipe of the week. It was a hit. One lady told me it would be great with applesauce.

INGREDIENTS:

16 Tbsp (1 cup or 2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened

1 c. light brown sugar, packed

¼ c. honey

2 large eggs

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp Chai spice or: 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp cardamom, 1 ½ tsp allspice, and ½ tsp black pepper.

2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sour cream or yogurt, full-fat preferred

2 tsp vanilla extract.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and honey until smooth and somewhat lightened in color, about 2 minutes on medium speed.

Add eggs one at a time, beating for a minute or two and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.

Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chai spice blend.

Measure the flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Gently, but thoroughly stir in half the flour into the butter/egg mixture. Add the sour cream or yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Finally, stir in the remaining flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat briefly, to incorporate any sticky residue.

Grease well a 9 or 10 cup bundt pan. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, and bake 50-55 minutes, until a cake tester or long toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to finish cooling.

*For a simple yet tasty final touch, try drizzling the cooled cake with caramel sauce.

Cool completely before slicing. Store any leftovers, tightly wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for long storage.

MY NOTES:

I rarely have unsalted butter, so I used the regular butter and a little less salt. My bundt pan has a dark interior, which seems to bake cakes quicker and darker. I baked it the 50 minutes and it was done and a little dark. I was concerned it would taste burnt, but it was fine.

Like most pound cakes, this one is spicy but not overly sweet. I didn't add the caramel sauce on top, nor any icing.

ENJOY