Apple Chai Cake

There is nothing quite as comforting to me in autumn as apples. They’re the soul of the season — crisp, fragrant, endlessly versatile. I love to play with them in all sorts of ways, but a simple, spiced apple cake always feels just right. A slice on a quiet afternoon, with coffee or tea in hand, and suddenly the day softens.

Lately, I’ve been drinking more chai in the afternoons, and I thought: why not bring the two together? Apples and chai. A cake that feels like a marriage of two comforts — the fruit I love most this season and the spices I reach for when I want warmth. The flavour is deep, the spices wrap around you, and every bite feels like it was made for autumn.

This cake is easy, tender, and fragrant. As it bakes, the house fills with the scent of apples and spiced milk, and you end up with a crumb so soft you only need a fork to glide through it.

It’s a recipe I’m really happy to share with you — humble, fragrant, and the kind of thing that makes a table feel a little more generous, even if you’re just working away at your laptop.

Ingredients

• 125 ml (½ cup) full-fat milk, or coconut milk for more sweetness and richness

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger

• ½ teaspoon ground allspice (or nutmeg)

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (optional, for warmth)

• 200 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 175 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 225 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour

• 2 ½ tsp baking powder

• ⅓ tsp salt

• 3 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and halved

• 2 tbsp demerara sugar (for sprinkling)

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Method

1. In a small pan, combine the milk (or coconut milk) with the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, cloves, and black pepper). Bring just to a boil, then remove from the heat. Let it infuse and cool while you prepare the batter.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease and line the base of a 22 cm (9-inch) springform tin with baking paper.

2. Cream butter and sugar In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and caster sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time — the mixture may look split, but it will come together. Mix in the vanilla.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the cooled spiced milk. Mix gently until just combined — avoid overmixing.

7. Score thin slits across the tops of the apple halves. Arrange them cut-side down on the batter, pressing gently.

8. Sprinkle the top with demerara sugar for crunch and caramelisation.

9. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with moist crumbs.

10. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.