This Vegan Chai Spice Cake is tender, moist, and warmly spiced, finished with a chai-spiced cream cheese frosting. It’s a single-layer, egg-free and dairy-free cake that stays soft thanks to oil and a vegan “buttermilk” (plant milk plus vinegar). The frosting uses plant-based butter and cream cheese for a creamy topping. The chai spice — a mix of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and cardamom — gives both the cake and frosting a cozy, fragrant flavor.
I first posted this chai cake in November 2018 and refreshed it in October 2019. After several years I made additional adjustments to simplify ingredients and respond to reader feedback. If you prefer an earlier version of the recipe, feel free to ask and I can share it.
Ingredients and substitutions
Below is a concise guide to key ingredients and easy substitutions. The full ingredient list and exact amounts appear in the recipe card further down.
- Flour — All-purpose flour gives a lighter, softer cake than whole wheat. If you prefer whole wheat the cake will be denser.
- Sugar — Light brown sugar is recommended, but coconut sugar, cane sugar, or granulated sugar have worked well in testing.
- Chai spice — A balanced mix of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. This recipe leans a bit heavier on ginger for warmth.
- Vegan buttermilk — Made by combining plant-based milk and white vinegar. Almond milk is used here, and oat milk is a good nut-free option.
- Plant-based cream cheese — Choose a brand with a brick-style texture rather than a very soft or spreadable variety to avoid a runny frosting.
- Plant-based butter — Use baking-friendly sticks rather than spreadable tubs for better frosting structure.
How to make vegan chai cake with spiced cream cheese frosting
Here’s a high-level overview of the method. The complete step-by-step instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Measuring ingredients
The recipe card provides US cup measures for convenience plus metric weights for greater accuracy. Use a kitchen scale for grams (g) and a liquid measuring cup for milliliters (ml). Small quantities are shown in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Storage and freezing
- Room temperature: Store the unfrosted cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 4–5 days. It’s delicious unfrosted.
- Refrigerate: Store a frosted cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 5–7 days.
- Freeze: Wrap a cooled, unfrosted cake well in plastic wrap and place in a resealable bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.
Key recipe tips
- Avoid over mixing. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Over mixing produces a thin batter and a dense, slightly doughy cake.
- Grease and line the pan. Use parchment with an overhang to prevent sticking and make it easy to lift the cake out. Parchment also helps prevent over-browning at the edges.
Recipe FAQs
An 8-inch square pan gives a nicely tall cake. A 9-inch round pan produces similar results. A 9-inch square pan will bake the cake faster and yield a shorter cake.
All-purpose and whole wheat both work; all-purpose gives a lighter texture. A gluten-free 1:1 baking blend may work but hasn’t been fully tested. Single-ingredient gluten-free flours like coconut, oat or almond will require recipe adjustments.
Sinking most often comes from over mixing or the cake being underbaked. Opening the oven early can also cause a loss of heat and partial collapse.
More vegan spiced cake recipes
- Apple Spice Cake
- Orange Spice Cake
- Coconut Carrot Cake
If you try this cake, I’d love to hear how it turns out—please leave a comment with your feedback or questions.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chai Spice Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cup (240 ml) almond milk, minus 1 tablespoon
- ¾ cup (170 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces (113 g) plant-based cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted plant-based butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar (add more if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
- Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Make vegan buttermilk: add vinegar to a measuring cup and fill to 1 cup with almond milk. Stir and let sit 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk buttermilk, brown sugar, oil and vanilla until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet and gently whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and tap lightly to release air bubbles. Bake 23–25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting: beat cream cheese and plant-based butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and spices and beat until creamy. Add more powdered sugar if a thicker frosting is desired.
- Spread frosting over the cooled cake, slice and serve.
Notes
- This recipe has been updated over time to improve texture and ingredient accessibility. If you want an older version, request a copy.
- For best results weigh your flour. If you don’t have a scale, use the spoon-and-level method to avoid packing too much flour.
- A slightly lumpy batter is fine; over mixing can make the cake thin and more likely to sink in the center.
- Choose plant-based cream cheese and butter meant for baking for the best frosting consistency.
- Plant-based spreads often soften faster at room temperature than dairy versions, so check before using.
Nutrition Facts per Serving
| Carbohydrates: 32 g
| Protein: 2 g
| Fat: 10 g
| Saturated Fat: 2 g
| Sodium: 209 mg
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate and can vary based on substitutions and brands used.