This delectable cake has become a firm favourite amongst the Visitor Services team here at Winterbourne ever since Visitor Services Assistant Abbie first brought it in earlier this autumn.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 282g plain flour
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp ground allspice
• 1.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.25 tsp baking soda
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 140g unsalted butter
• 200g brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 240ml buttermilk

For the soak

• 120ml milk
• 2 chai teabags
• 150g sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the icing

• 280g unsalted butter
• 225g cream cheese
• 260g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 9×9 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Mix your dry ingredients – flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt – in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter with white and brown sugars until light and fluffy – this is best done with an electric whisk or stand mixer. Add the eggs, one by one, and vanilla. Continue mixing on a medium speed for about a minute.
4. Gradually fold in the buttermilk and dry ingredients. This is best done by hand to avoid overmixing.
5. Pour the batter into your baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes.
6. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the soak or the icing.
7. While the cake is in the oven, make the soak. Gently heat the milk in a small saucepan until steaming. Add in the teabags and steep on the heat for 20 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat, remove the teabag, and let it cool completely.
9. Transfer the milk to a jug and add in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla
10. Once the cake has completely cooled, cut off a very thin layer off the top and poke holes in the top of the cake using the handle of a wooden spoon. Slowly pour over the chai milk soak.
11. For the icing, beat the butter on a high speed until fluffy, then add in the cream cheese and vanilla extract. Continue mixing on a medium speed.
12. Once the butter and cream cheese are fluffy and aerated, sift in the icing sugar and mix – slowly to begin with and then increase the speed once combined.
13. Add a thick layer of the icing to the top of the cake and sprinkle with cinnamon.