Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Chai Spice Coffee Cake -- CHAI ANOTHER DAY -- #giveaway


(The giveaway is closed.) 

LESLIE: After all my jokes about being People of the Pie, rather than Clan of the Cake, it’s funny that I’ve shared not one but TWO coffee cake recipes in the past few months. (Here’s my Almond Rhubarb Coffee Cake, right in season.) I actually made them two or three weeks apart, which is even funnier.

A writer’s life is turrible hard, turrible hard. Worse, she inflicts it upon her poor, unsuspecting family.

This is another of the recipes I gave to Pepper in Chai Another Day to showcase her chai-inspired baking blend. The recipe for that blend is in the book; you can use it or the substitute listed below. My original is based on a chai-spiced coffee cake recipe I found on line; I changed the spices so I could offer you, dear readers, a all-purpose blend for baking, just as Pepper offers her customers. After the first piece, I decided it needed a glaze—and of course, that had to be spiced, too.

This is a classic Bundt cake with a spiced streusel swirl and topping, but no tea or coffee—so you can pair a slice with either beverage for happy taste buds!

CHAI ANOTHER DAY releases next week, June 11! It's available for pre-order now, of course. Read an excerpt on my website. And leave a comment below, with your email address, for a chance to win a copy!

Glazed Chai Spice Coffee Cake

Streusel:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1–1/2 teaspoons Chai for Baking blend (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, ground cardamom, and ground cloves)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup pecans, lightly toasted, chopped

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon Chai for Baking blend (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom)
1–1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Glaze: 

1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 to 1 teaspoon Chai for Baking blend
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour Bundt pan and set aside.

Make the streusel:
In a bowl, mix brown sugar, sugar, spices and flour. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans. Set aside.

Make the cake:
In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Scrape bowl as needed. Add vanilla extract and combine.

Add sour cream and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture. Mix until combined.

Pour half the batter into Bundt pan. Add half of streusel and use a knife to swirl into batter.

Pour remaining batter into to pan and top with remaining streusel. Gently press streusel into batter.

Bake 55–65 minutes until top of cake is rich golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

Make the glaze: 
While the cake bakes, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl.

Let the cake cool in pan five minutes before unmolding by turning upside down onto cake plate, tapping with the handle of a knife to loosen. Cool 15–20 minutes before glazing and serving.

This cake freezes beautifully. Wrap well to prevent drying.

Streusel:




Cake:






Glaze:





Coffee? Tea? Cake? Take your pick! Leave a comment below, with your email address, for a chance to win a copy of CHAI ANOTHER DAY! (US addresses only, please. Winner will be chosen Thursday, June 6.)




From the cover of CHAI ANOTHER DAY, Spice Shop Mystery #4 (Seventh St. Books, June 2019): 

 Seattle Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece probes murder while juggling a troubled employee, her mother's house hunt, and a fisherman who's set his hook for her.

As owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle's famed Pike Place Market, Pepper Reece is always on the go. Between conjuring up new spice blends and serving iced spice tea to customers looking to beat the summer heat, she finally takes a break for a massage. But the Zen moment is shattered when she overhears an argument in her friend Aimee's vintage home decor shop that ends in murder. 

Wracked by guilt over her failure to intervene, Pepper investigates, only to discover a web of deadly connections that could ensnare a friend - and Pepper herself.

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story; read it on her website. A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

50 comments:

  1. I could eat cake every day. Neat recipe!
    browninggloria(at)hotmail(dot) com

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  2. Looks great. I would pair it with coffee. JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. The word "chai" means tea in Hindi and other languages -- even Russian, I'm told -- so there's a running joke in the book about the common phrase "chai tea," meaning "tea tea," and of course, "chai coffee cake" would mean "tea coffee cake." :) Or as my chef Edgar, a Salvadoran who runs an Italian restaurant, says, "America -- the melted pot."

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    2. LOL...the melted pot. I love it!

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    3. We recently travelled to Turkey, and discovered that they drink way more tea than Turkish coffee. It is also called "chai" there, but spelled "cay", with a "squiggle" below the 'c'. ( I know what it's called, but not how to spell it!) They also serve it in small handle-less glasses. They steep the tea till quite dark, then serve it diluted with an equal amount of boiled water. All the flavour, but none of the bitterness that black tea can have.

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  3. I think I’ll make this for a weekend trip. These are all spices I enjoy. suefoster109 at gmail dot com.

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  4. Sounds like another great cozy. Love the cake recipe. Nothing like a good book, with cake and hot cup of coffee.
    xzjh04(at) gmail(dot) com

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  5. This looks absolutely delicious. I love everything chai, and look forward to trying this.

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  6. Chai is my favorite drink and with this delectable coffee cake perfect. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. What a treat to eat with my chai tea each morning. Thanks for this lovely feature and giveaway. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  8. This cake sounds heavenly! I can't wait to make it and also to make my chai spice mix! Thanks for sharing and for your giveaway! bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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  9. The cake looks divine! I absolutely love how you incorporated the chai. Thank you for the chance to win!
    magicgirl2357@yahoo.com

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  10. Looks good, and on a 97 degree day like today I think it just might go with iced tea also! Congrats on the release and thanks for the giveaway.
    sallycootie@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Bake early, then rest in the shade with an iced something -- perfect!

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  11. Oh my goodness, I have to give this recipe to my BFF (I am not allowed in the kitchen for that long!) She will make it and we will enjoy it with Ultra Chai tea for out weekly get together! Congratulations on release!
    teddi1961(at)arcemont(dot)com

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  12. Oh one small change and i can make it gluten free

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  13. Taylor R. WilliamsJune 4, 2019 at 11:42 AM

    I drink both tea and coffee, I'm not much of a cake eater, but love coffee cake and this one sure sounds delicious. You are a superb author. Thanks for the contest. trwilliams 69 at msn dot com

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  14. I have been keeping an eye on several recipes here for celebrating when I attain specific weight and health goals. Am happily very nearly there and can almost taste the spice in this lovely treat. Will have to use it for my next get-together/coffee and chat with the neighbors.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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    Replies
    1. Congrats on nearing goal weight, Lil! This cake will be a treat to share with neighbors. Also, it slices and freezes well, a bonus for those of us tempted to have "just one more slice..." :)

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  15. This looks so good!! Thanks for a chance to win! ljbonkoski@yahoo.com

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  16. Yes! Cake! I love the dog. Airedale? Or Welsh terrier?
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. He's an Airedale, named Arf. I am kind of in love with him.

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  17. I love coffee cake. This one looks really good. turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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  18. Looks like an amazing coffee cake recipe. I love streusel topping and the addition of chai spices makes it sound even better.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  19. We're all making ME hungry. I should stash a piece or two in my own freezer when I know I'm going to be posting something baked!

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  20. Looks like another goody to try.
    That's quite a blast of black pepper in the streusel!
    I noticed that you omitted the ginger and clove in the cake.

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    Replies
    1. Ooops, libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    2. I did -- just simplifying things a bit for those not making the blend and using it.

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  21. I like tea and cake not coffee unless it's ice cream. Love the Spice Shop mysteries.

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    Replies
    1. OOh, espresso poured over ice cream -- what the Italians call an affagato -- so good!

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  22. This looks so good. Would love to dip it in a creamy chai latte!! I think I can even smell it. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of your book! Cannot wait for it. kayt18 (at) comcast (dot) net

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  23. This looks yummy, and I particularly appreciate that it has cardamom, one of my all time favorite spices. Thank you for the chance to win! aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com

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  24. A cup of coffee with the cake sounds delicious. Donakutska7@gmail.com

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  25. Looking forward to making this one gluten free - great spice blend for a cake!

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  26. Great recipe. I am a tea drinker myself when the weather is cold which is not often in Florida. I am looking forward to Chai Another Day. Doodlesink(at)hotmail(dot)com.

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  27. I love cake, not pie and tea, not coffee! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  28. Eating healthier, not a coffee or tea drinker. Rather have a bowl of fruit. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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  29. Looks like a great recipe that pairs well with tea. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  30. My brother has rhubarb in his garden and he usually makes rhubarb strawberry pie but this cake sounds good. I think I will send him this recipe to try if he wants to for something different. pgenest57(at)aol(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Rhubarb is so prolific that it's great to have alternatives! In Treble at the Jam Fest, my 4th Food Lovers' Village book, there's a Rhubarb Custard Pie recipe that's also worth a try!

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  31. Trying to keep the weight down, but I love coffee cake with just a little bit of icing. This looks yummy but I may have to make it for a party cause if I have it sitting at home, it will get eaten all by me, and that would be bad. kkcochran (at) Hotmail (dot) com

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    Replies
    1. I know the challenge, but I promise, if you show up at a gathering with this coffee cake, you'll be very popular!

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  32. I am making this on the weekend (today is Wednesday) I simply MUST have this in my mouth! :)

    miss-taken (at) live (dot) com

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  33. Coffee and a coffee cake with a nice crumbly topping, no icing for me.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  34. A slice of this cake with a good cup of tea would be a perfect pairing.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

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