Chai Spiced Banana Chocolate Cake

Chai Spiced Banana Chocolate Cake - This Chai Spiced Banana Cake is easy to make, is studded with chocolate chips and made with leftover bananas. If you are a chai lover be that Masala Chai or a Chai Latte, then you will love this great recipe for a classic banana cake recipe with a chai twist. It is the perfect sweet treat to have with a cup of your favourite hot drink (warm chai for me!), during the Autumn and Winter (Fall) months. 

Ingredients in Chai Spiced Banana Chocolate Chip cake

For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page:

Butter - I use Salted Butter. If you use Unsalted Butter, add a pinch of Salt. This adds richness and flavour.

Egg - Eggs bind the ingredients together but they also have a role in how the other ingredients behave such as the butter and leavening agents.

Flour - Plain Flour aka All Purpose Flour.

Cocoa Powder - For plenty of Chocolate flavour. Not Hot chocolate powder!

Brown Sugar - Light Brown Sugar adds caramel tones as well as moisture. You can use any Sugar you like in place of Light Brown Sugar. Muscovado Sugar is great here and Demerara/Turbinado also works.

Salt - Just a pinch to bring it all together.

Bicarbonate of Soda - Aka Baking Soda.

Vanilla Extract - Or Vanilla Bean Paste.

Chocolate Chips - I use Milk Chocolate Chips or chopped up Milk Chocolate.

Ripe Bananas - Mashed ripe Bananas that are brown and spotty all over are best. You can use defrosted frozen bananas too. Just make sure to drain any excess liquid off first. 

Chai Spice - Homemade Chai Spice Mix/Chai Spice Blend or a mixture of some fragrant Indian spices such as ground Cardamom, Cinnamon, Black pepper, Ginger.

How to make Chai Spiced Banana Cake

Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4/180 C/350 F.

Lightly grease a loaf tin with Butter and then line with parchment paper/baking paper.

Start by mashing the bananas in a large mixing bowl using a fork.

Add Butter to a pot or saucepan. Stir till melted. Continue to stir the Butter over medium low heat, until the Butter becomes nutty and golden. This will take 5 - 7 minutes.

Remove to a bowl and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes. Add Brown Sugar and mix in.

Stir in mashed Banana.

Add the Egg and Vanilla. Then whisk in.

Fold in the Flour, Cocoa Powder, Chai Spices and Bicarbonate of Soda. Do not over mix!

Stir in most of the Chocolate.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, and spread out evenly with a spatula.

Lightly tap the cake tin on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and sprinkle over the remaining chocolate or chocolate chips.

Bake for 1 hour. Insert a skewer into the middle to check if it is fully cooked.

Leave to cool for 15 minutes in the tin. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 - 30 minutes before slicing.

How to ripen bananas quickly

If you have Bananas that are taking forever to ripen, here is how you can ripen them up quickly.

Place Bananas on a baking tray and bake at180 c/350 f/Gas Mark 4 for 15 -20 minutes.

If you have frozen Bananas, remove from the freezer and leave them out for 30 minutes before using. Discard any Water that has seeped from them.

How to serve Banana Loaf Cake

This is the perfect snack to have just with a fork at this time of year or you can serve warm banana bread with a hot drink such as Tea, Coffee or even Hot Chocolate.

You can also have it dusted with icing sugar, with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, some Heavy/Double Cream or a drizzle of Caramel Sauce or Maple Syrup.

Variations

This banana bread/cake is easily adaptable: Why not try adding:

Add Nuts - Such as Pecans, Walnuts, Hazel nuts.
Add Raisins - I like to soak them in Chai or Tea for 20 minutes before hand.
Add some Demerara Sugar  - (Turbinado Sugar) to the top before baking.
Add other Spices - Use Pumpkin/Gingerbread Spice instead.

Tips and Tricks

Add Milk if the mixture is very thick

If the mixture is thick, add a couple of tablespoons of Milk, Buttermilk, Sour Cream or Plain Yoghurt.

Use room temperature Eggs

To quickly get room temp eggs place them in a bowl with warm water for about 10 minutes.  

Fold in the Dry Ingredients

When stirring in the dry ingredients, GENTLY mix the batter just until combined. 

Storage

This Cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days or up to a week in the fridge.

How to Freeze

Cover the cake tightly with 2 layers of cling film and 1 layer of foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature or thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. You can freeze it in slices or as a whole.

Faqs

Why is my Banana Bread/Cake dense?

Banana cake should be dense but there is such a thing as too dense. There are 3 main reasons why your banana cake/bread may be too dense:

1. Over mixing - This creates more gluten, which means a more chewy and dense cake.

2. Old Eggs - Use fresh Eggs as old eggs also create a denser cake.

3. Stick to the exact measurements - Too much liquid = too much moisture = dense heavy cake.

Why did my Banana Cake sink in the middle?

This is most likely due to under baking. Banana cake can vary in cooking times by a full 10 minutes.

• Make sure the top is firm to the touch and that a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• If the cake is looking really brown but is still not cooked in the middle, cover the top with some foil and bake a little longer.
• Make sure that you are using the correct amount of banana as too much will increase the moisture and make it difficult for the bread to cook through properly.
• Measure your baking powder/bicarbonate of soda carefully. Too much of these can cause the cake to rise and then sink as it cools.

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