Chetna Makan’s Masala Chai Tres Leches Cake recipe

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Here I have combined one of my favourite cakes with one of my favourite flavours.

Nassima Rothacker

SERVES 12-14

FOR THE CAKE

unsalted butter, for the tin 6 large eggs, separated 200g caster sugar

250g plain flour

1½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves 100ml whole milk

FOR THE SOAK

397g can condensed milk

410g can evaporated milk 200ml double cream

4 teabags

TO DECORATE

500ml double cream 1 tbsp caster sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas Butter a 30cmx 20cm x 4cm-5cm deep traybake tin and line it with nonstick baking paper.
  2. In a bowl and using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks with half the sugar for 5-6 minutes until pale, fluffy and almost doubled in size.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and spices and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture and fold them in. Then gently fold in the milk.
  4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a clean electric whisk until they have formed soft Slowly add the remaining sugar,1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Once it is stiff and glossy, add a ladle of it to the batter and fold it in. Add all the remaining egg white mixture and fold it in gently.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, spreading it out evenly, and bake for 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.
  6. Combine all the soak ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the boil and immediately turn off the heat. Set aside to cool and infuse while the cake is baking.
  7. As soon as the cake is cooked, use a toothpick or skewer to prick all over the Remove the teabags from the soak and pour all the liquid evenly over the cake. Leave it to cool, then chill for 3-4 hours, or overnight, if possible.
  8. To serve, whip the cream with the sugar until thickened and smooth. Top portions of the cake with the cream, dust with a sprinkling of cinnamon and drizzle some of the soak from the tin. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

NOW BUY THE BOOK

Our recipes are taken from Chetna’s Easy Baking by Chetna Makan, published by Octopus, £20. To order a copy for £17 until 26 June, go to mailshop.co.uk/books*

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