This fragrant spiced chai soaked cake is a delicious cross between tres leches and a tiramisu. It’s perfect to serve on Eid, and during these last nights of Ramadan. Similar to tres leches, we’re using three milks – milk, evaporated and condensed – to make our chai and, similar to a tiramisu, cake rusk as the base. After pouring our delicious chai over the rusk, I’ve made a dreamy saffron infused mascarpone cream and to top it all off toasted cardamom, saffron, honey almonds for a delicious crunch!
I developed this recipe in partnership with Le Creuset Canada on Instagram, where you’ll find a reel showcasing exactly how to put this nostalgic flavoured treat together. My Heritage Rectangular Dish is the perfect size and aesthetic to make this cake in. It’s a versatile piece of bakeware with deep sidewalls that create ample space for layering, and if you’re thinking of baking, it’s a stunning oven to table piece!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- cake rusk: I’ve opted for cake rusk over a cake, or savoiardi (lady fingers) here because nothing beats the nostalgic combo of cake rusk dipped in chai! This cake definitely still works with a traditional sponge cake, and will work with savoiardi as well, keeping in mind the flavours will be slightly different as the rusk lends its own set of flavours to the cake as well.
- chai: I’ve made the chai for this cake a little stronger than what I’d drink. We want a strong chai flavour that’s both delicate and fragrant without being overpowering. The brand of chai I use can be found here
- spices: I use a combination of whole and ground spices in my chai, and I’ve done the same for this cake. Whole star anise, whole black peppercorns and sliced (not grated) ginger lend a beautiful aroma and flavour, and I find that grinding them makes the chai a little too heavy. Cardamom is ground to amplify it’s delicate flavours.
- whipping cream: use 35% cream
- mascarpone cheese: this adds a richness to the whipped cream that I don’t recommend you skip
- saffron: I’ve added a pinch of saffron to the whipped topping to add the most mild flavour. I wanted to include this to add to the regal feel of the cake – it is Eid, after all!
- almonds: I’ve used peeled and sliced plain almonds here. They add a nice little crunch to the finished dish.
Masala Chai Tres Leches Cake (No Bake)
This fragrant masala chai soaked cake is a delicious cross between tres leches and a tiramisu. It’s perfect to serve on Eid, and during these last nights of Ramadan
Ingredients
Chai
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 cups evaporated milk one can
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom freshly ground is best
- 7 black peppercorns
- 1/2 inch ginger sliced
- 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk to taste
Whipped Topping
- 500 ml whipping cream 35%, cold
- 275 g mascarpone one small container
- 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk the leftover half from the chai
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 1 pinch saffron strands
Spiced Honey Almonds
- 100 g sliced almonds peeled, not roasted
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- pinch saffron optional
- 3 Tbsp honey
Cake
- 2 boxes cake rusk I prefer 'Crispy' brand vanilla rusk – there will be some leftover
Instructions
Make The Chai
- In a medium sized sauce pot, add the water, whole and ground spices, and tea
- Bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Let this boil for 2 minutes, to deepen the colour and amplify the flavour of the spices.
- Pour in the 2% milk and the evaporated milk.
- On high heat, bring to a boil – keep a close eye on it so it doesn't spill over!
- Once the tea boils to the top of the pot, turn the heat down until the tea is back to a slow rolling boil. Bring the heat back up to high, allowing the tea to boil to the top again – repeat this twice so the tea has boiled up to the rim of the pot three times.
- Strain the tea into a large heat safe bowl.
- Pour in half the can of sweetened condensed milk, stirring well to combine.
- Set aside to cool completely.
Spiced Honey Almonds
- Add the butter to a large skillet on medium heat.
- Once melted, add in the almonds and mix well to coat.
- Add in the ground cardamom and saffron, stirring to combine.
- Toast until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. The almonds will continue to darken once they're cooling, don't give into the temptation to over toast (like I did!).
- Pour in the honey, and turn the heat to low. Continue to stir for two more minutes.
- Remove the almonds to a parchment lined baking sheet and spread into a thin layer. Cool completely.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of warm whipping cream with the pinch of saffron threads. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or other large bowl, pour in the remaining cold whipping cream.
- Whisk on high speed for about 2 minutes, until the cream begins to just thicken up.
- Add in the icing sugar, sweetened condensed milk and the saffron cream (which should be a deep yellow now – if not, carefully warm it up in the microwave for about 15 seconds)
- Whisk on high heat until just before stiff peaks form. We want a thick but creamy mixture.
- Add in the mascarpone cheese.
- Whisk on medium for about 1 minute, just to start combining it.
- Switch to a silicone spatula, and fold in the mascarpone cheese until the cheese and cream are fully combined – being mindful not to loose too much of the fluffiness we created with the whipped cream.
Assembly
- Layer the cake rusk into a 9×13 baking dish. Pour over 1/4 of the chai, flip the rusk over and pour over another 1/4 of the chai.
- Place a second layer of rusk over the first, and repeat the pouring step as above.
- Optional, refrigerate overnight at this point, halve the chai recipe above and pour over more chai before adding the cream just before serving.
- Spread or pipe over the mascarpone cream.
- Before Serving:Crumble 2-3 cake rusks as fine as you prefer, and sprinkle over the cake, along the edges, or in your preferred style.
- Crumble the honey cardamom almonds and sprinkle over the cake
- Best served immediately, before the crumbled rusk softens!
What a delicious idea! 😍 This fusion of chai and tres leches is so clever—I’m imagining the “cake soaked in chai” moment and I might just drool a little. I love how you used the nostalgic cake rusk *and* layered it with that saffron‑mascarpone cream for the royal touch. This dessert is giving “comfort meets festive” vibes and I’m totally here for it. Thanks for sharing such a creative treat—I’m bookmarking this for my next “yes I deserve dessert” moment!