Chai Tea Roll Cake

I seem to base a lot of my baking projects off of beverages don't I?  From margarita cupcakes to cinnamon latte cupcakes to pumpkin spice latte cupcakes, I tend to find a lot of inspiration in delicious drinks.  In fact, whenever I have a drink that I like, I usually ponder its possibilities as a macaron or cupcake.

Yum.  I'm sure you would.

I love chai tea.  My college roommate would regularly make it from scratch, which is not too difficult if you have the right spices.  Chai tea requires cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole peppercorns, whole cardamom seeds, fresh ginger, and black tea - all of which work together to make a delicious, fragrant (my apartment still smells amazing) hot drink.

I decided to infuse whipping cream with all the chai tea spices and use it to fill a spiced roll cake.

I've been seeing some beautiful roll cakes with patterns baked right into the sponge cake.  I decided that some pretty red-brown swirls would be excellent for my chai tea-inspired cake.  Sugar For the Brain has a great tutorial on how to make these patterns - the trick is to freeze the pattern before pouring the rest of the batter on top so that it keeps its shape.  This technique is not too difficult and yields something that looks pretty darn impressive.

The chai tea flavors in this cake came through perfectly - this tastes like chai tea in cake form, right down to the very mild sweetness (if you like your treats very sweet, you may want to modify this recipe).  This cake is also very light - there's very little fat in the cake, and the middle is just whipping cream.  So, if you're looking for a super decadent, rich dessert, this might not be for you.  However, if you're looking for a light, spiced cake that evokes a delicious cup of chai tea, give this a try.

Chai Tea Whipped Cream

Ingredients

8 whole cloves (or ½ teaspoon ground cloves)
8 whole cardamom seeds (or ½ teaspoon ground cardamom) 

8 black peppercorns

2 cinnamon sticks

10 grams fresh ginger

2 cups (about 1 pint) heavy whipping cream

4 black tea teabags

pinch salt

3 tablespoons honey (add more for a sweeter cream)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Crush the whole cloves, cardamom seeds, and black peppercorns using a rolling pin or mallet.
2. Slice the ginger into thin discs.
3. Combine the cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and add the teabags.  Cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
5. Pour the spiced cream through a strainer into a bowl.  Make sure to squeeze all the cream out of the teabags.  Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours (or overnight).  Your whipping cream needs to get cold, or it won't whip properly.
6. Remove from the refrigerator.  Add the salt and whip until soft peaks form.
7. Add the honey and vanilla extract and whip until combined.

Chai Tea Roll Cake
Adapted from Oggi's Matcha Cake Roll recipe.

Ingredients
2 black tea teabags
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (94 grams) cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 eggs, separated
1 cup (190 grams) sugar
2 ½ tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 400° F.  Line a 11"x17" jelly roll pan with parchment paper (I just used a cookie sheet).
2. If you would like to make designs: turn the parchment paper over.  Using a food-safe pen, draw your design on the back.  Flip the parchment paper back over and place on the pan.
3. Cut open your teabags and empty them into a food processor or blender.  Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.  Grind until fine.
4. Sift together the tea, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, beat the five egg whites until stiff.  Set aside.
6. In a large bowl, beat the five egg yolks on medium for about a minute. Add the sugar gradually and beat until light in color (about 1 minute). Add the flour mixture on low speed. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix on low until combined.
7. Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.
8. If you would like to make designs: separate out about ¾ cup of batter (you may need more or less depending on your design).  Add food coloring until you have the desired color, and mix to combine.  Spoon the colored batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip (Wilton #7 worked for me).  Pipe your pattern on the parchment paper.  Place the pan with the design in the freezer for 15 minutes so that it sets.
9. Spread the batter onto the jelly roll pan. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the middle springs back when you press on it.
10. Trim the edges, and without removing the parchment paper, roll the cake starting at the shorter side.  Leave the cake to cool on a wire rack.

Assembly

1. Unroll your cooled cake and remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
2. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake.  Re-roll.
3. Refrigerate before serving.