I got the urge to bake at about 9:30 last night, so I decided to make something we could eat for breakfast this morning. Of course, we wound up eating part of it last night because it smelled so good in the oven, but there was plenty left for a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast.
Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake
This dense, lightly spiced, and lightly sweet vegan coffee cake gets its rich flavoring from chai. It's perfect for breakfast or anytime!
Ingredients
- 1 cup strong chai
- 1/3 cup uncooked quick oatmeal not instant
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger use more for a spicier cake
- 3/4 cup vegan sugar I used demerara
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut 2 tbsp reserved
Instructions
- Prepare the chai ahead of time by steeping two teabags (I used decaffeinated Tazo Chai) in one cup of boiling water until cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
- Combine the dry ingredients (oatmeal through sugar) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the chai, applesauce, vinegar, extracts, and all but 2 tablespoons of the coconut. Mix well, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This turned out lightly spiced, lightly sweet, and very dense. E. liked it so much that she asked for it to be her birthday cake. I think it works better as the equivalent of a coffee cake (a chai cake?) than as a birthday cake. It was actually perfect for breakfast. . . and for a midnight snack.
Find the sugar-free version here!
Pin it:
SusanV
Here are the 69 comments that were posted before the blog was moved:
Monkey Eat Food said…
Sounds delicious! I haven’t experimented yet with chai in baked goods, but this recipe may push me to do so.
3:08 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
Shawn Powers said…
Looks wonderful! I love coconut, but can never find it anywhere unsweetened. 🙁
The thought of chai flavored anything is appealing to me!
3:17 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Melissa said…
Susan, this looks really good!
3:19 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
KaiVegan said…
Hi, Susan.
Hubby is not much into sweet stuff but he loves chai. I wonder what he would think about this cake. There’s only one way to find out, right?
And I do have really good loose leaf chai tea right now.
Shawn, have you tried asking your co-op if they would carry the unsweetened coconut for you?
4:52 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
Bryanna Clark Grogan said…
This is inspired! I love chai-flavored dishes. I’ve done a chai “ice cream” and chai-flavored crepes with a vegan “ricotta” filling and grilled fruit. Gotta try this one!
5:33 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
Fiber said…
This sounds absolutely fantastic! I love chai-spiced things.
5:49 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
KaiVegan said…
Oh, and I’m really wishing (just wishing-no pressure, lol) that a birthday cake blog is in the works:)
And I really love that plate, and the story behind it.
6:38 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
Nancy said…
wow that looks wonderful. I’ve been wondering what to make when my daughter’s friend comes from out of town – I think I’ll make this for breakfast one day. With some fruit and juice he’ll never notice we pulled a vegan breakfast on him!
11:16 PM, March 26, 2006
————————–
Comment ————————–d
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
7:24 AM, March 27, 2006
————————–
Joe said…
Chai is coming up in a lot of baked goods recently – great use!
10:14 AM, March 27, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
Hi Monkey Eat Food–This was my first chai experiment too, so I was happy that it turned out as well as it did!
Shawn, I find unsweetened coconut in the baking section of the supermarket, right by the sweetened kind. I’m surprised you haven’t got it there.
Thanks, Melissa!
Kaivegan, this isn’t a super-sweet cake, so maybe your husband will like it.
Wow, Bryanna, chai crepes and chai ice cream sound fantastic! I hope you have the recipes on your website–or put them on your new blog!
Hi Fiber–Chai is one of my favorite flavors, too. It’s not super-spicy in this recipe, though, so real spice lovers might want to crank up the spices a bit. But I like being able to detect the taste of the chai without it overpowering the coconut.
Hey again, KaiVegan–well, I’m a bit boring about birthday cakes. I’ve been using the same recipe ever since my daughter turned one! That recipe is here. I do vary it somewhat with different fillings and frostings, so I’ll post a blog entry about it after her birthday next month. It won’t be fatfree, though!
Hey Nancy–If you make it, please let me know how you like it. 🙂
Hey Ramya–I’m so glad to hear that you went ahead with the lotus chips and they turned out well! Thanks for letting me know.
And to all–Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Also, I’ve edited the post to include nutritional information for anyone who’s interested.
10:20 AM, March 27, 2006
————————–
KaiVegan said…
I would love to hear about the cake frosting, Susan.
I guess, you could start calling me a fan of this blog, too. (lol) I made this cake and it turned out moist and delicious. I love that it’s not too sweet. You’re right, dh loved it and I’m thinking of making it again sometime this week.
I’m off to make lunch now. If you must know, I’m making Korean Stew- thanks to you!
11:10 AM, March 27, 2006
————————–
KaiVegan said…
Also, I believe I had bookmarked this cake recipe from you already and I’m planning on making it for A’s birthday.
11:12 AM, March 27, 2006
————————–
Bryanna Clark Grogan said…
Susan, I just posted a link to this recipe on my blog post for today, because I posted an Indian-style breakfast dish, and this would make a great brunch dessert to go along with it. Those recipes I mentioned are from my newsletter, but I will post them sometime when they are “old news” to my subscribers.
12:34 PM, March 27, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
Wow, Kaivegan, I am so happy to hear that you liked the cake! Sometimes I worry that things I like aren’t necessarily things that other people will like. I’m glad to hear that this one was a winner in your house. I can’t wait to hear about that birthday party! 🙂
And Bryanna, I’m honored that you mentioned this cake on your blog! I’ll be looking for you to post the chai recipes sometime in the future. Thanks!
9:20 AM, March 28, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Randi said…
I have a question! When you use “ginger,” do you use grated (powdered) ginger, fresh ginger, or pickled ginger? Does it make a difference if you substitute? Also, why do you use two kinds of flour for this recipe?
You are the best Susan. This blog actually inspired me to be vegan. And that is definitely hard for a 25-year old that has never cooked!
6:08 PM, March 28, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
Randi! That is so terrific! I am so happy to hear that there’s a new vegan in the world. 🙂
To answer your question, in this recipe I used the powdered ginger you find in the spice rack. In a lot of my other recipes, though, I use fresh ginger. You can usually tell when I mean the fresh because I’ll say “minced” or chopped.
Thank you so much for posting!
8:31 PM, March 28, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Randi said…
I don’t know how people feel about splenda, but when I made this I took out the sugar and used half the required amount of Splenda in its place. This made it low-fat and low-calorie!
10:52 PM, March 28, 2006
————————–
kickpleat said…
mmm, this looks fantastic! i love chai and coconut has to be one of my most favorite things. yum.
11:56 AM, March 29, 2006
————————–
Bryanna Clark Grogan said…
I just found a low-fat grated unsweetened coconut at my health food store– says some of the fat is steam-extracted and it’s 36% lower in fat than regular coconut. Worth a try!
5:33 PM, March 29, 2006
————————–
Amy said…
Ohh I love chai! Yum!
Do you think I could do this recipe using chai concentrate instead of tea bags. Would I just use a cup of chai or would I have to dilute it with milk? When you use it to make a drink you use 1 part chai and 1 part soymilk.
8:25 AM, March 30, 2006
————————–
Bryanna Clark Grogan said…
Didn’t like that low-fat coconut! Dry and kinda tasteless, unless you really chew on it. And, looking at the nutrition facts, it’s not really that much of a difference. 30 g. of “Lets Do…Organic Unsweetened Coconut Lite” (1/2 cup) contains 142 calories, 12 g fat. (That company has some great products, BTW.) 28 g of ordinary unsweetened grated desiccated coconut contains 153 calories and 18 g fat– not bad if you spreading it out among 8 pieces of cake or 12 muffins, or soemthing like that.
1:18 PM, March 30, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
Hi Amy–I think it would probably work with the concentrate, though you may have to dilute it a little–I’d use water and dilute it about 2 parts concentrate to 1 part water.
Bryanna, thanks for letting me know. It will save me from wasting my money on it!
1:26 PM, March 30, 2006
————————–
Harmonia said…
OMG! This looks amazing!!!
3:08 PM, March 30, 2006
————————–
p said…
Wow, that looks awesome! But my roommate is allergic to coconut – any chance this would work without it?
7:43 PM, April 01, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
P-Sure! I’d try substituting shredded carrot or apple for the coconut,except for the part sprinkled on top–just skip that.
8:37 PM, April 01, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Lake Desire said…
Has anyone tried making this with stevia? I’m hypoglycemic so I’d like to learn how to bake with this sugar alternative, but I’m a little uncertain how to make up for the smaller quantities of stevia needed for sweetness.
8:54 PM, April 01, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
Hi Lake Desire, I’ve experimented with substituting stevia for part of the sugar in a recipe, but I haven’t done it completely sugar-free. What I’ve done is reduce the sugar by half, use 1/4 tsp. of pure stevia extract (I insist on KAL brand) for each 1/4 cup sugar that I omit, and reduce the liquid a little. So in this recipe, I would suggest using 3/8 cup of sugar, 3/8 tsp. of stevia, and reduce the amount of chai by a tablespoon or two. Reducing the chai may not be necessary at all–I would have to experiment with it to see.
If you want to replace the sugar completely, you’ll definitely need to adjust the liquid. Please let me know if you experiment with this recipe and find a sugar-free version that works.
11:07 AM, April 02, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Lake Desire said…
Thank you, Susanv. I’ll keep you updated on the results. I just found your blog through the Carnival of Empty cages and plan on being a regular reader. 🙂
11:31 AM, April 02, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
Hey Lake Desire, if you’re still around–I just found the Carnival this morning, and read your This is What a Vegan Looks Like. Great article!
I’ve got some chai steeping, and I’m about to make 1/2 a recipe of the cake using no sugar at all. I’ll let you know how it comes out. If it comes out well, I’ll post it as a new entry. If it’s bad, well, we’ll see. I’ll at least leave a comment about it here if it’s a failure. 🙂
11:43 AM, April 02, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Lorela said…
Well made this last night for this mornings breakfast. Though of course we had to sample it last night. 🙂
It is very good, not to sweet which I like for I hate really sweet things. The only change I made was to use all whole wheat pastry flour as I am not a big fan of white flour. The texture was particularly good, moist and dense. The only thing I might try is to add a bit of cardamom with the cinnamon and the ginger since to me thats what make chai taste like chai. This is the second recipe I have tried of yours in the past week that I have been reading your blog and they have both been excellent. You are to good to keep giving them away for free!
1:44 PM, April 02, 2006
————————–
SusanV said…
Lorela, that is so sweet of you to say! And I agree that cardamom would be a nice addition to this; the next time I make it I’m going to pump up the spices a little more.
And all you sugar-free people–check out the link at the bottom to my new sugar-free version.
3:11 PM, April 02, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Lake Desire said…
Yes I’m still here. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed my post!
5:04 PM, April 05, 2006
————————–
Anonymous said…
I just made the cake for the second time fora birthday party and eveyone LOVED it. People ate like three pieces each. Thank goodness there wasnt any to take home. Dont need that temptation in my house. YUMMY!
PS- I used Good Earth Sweet & Spicy tea this time and it rocked
1:17 PM, May 30, 2006
————————–
Anonymous Avid cook from NY said…
I have made this cake twice and absolutely LOVE this cake!! Moist, delicious, flavorful – great for dessert or breakfast!
I have made a few slight mods based on what I had in my kitchen: bread flour instead of whole-wheat flour, and regular granulated sugar instead of the vegan sugar.
I used a total of 1 tsp of home-made chai masala (1/2 tsp for the cup of chai, and 1/2 tsp to substitute for the 1/4 tsp ginger), which was lovely! Oh, for the chai, I used Celestial Seasonings brand, Original India Spice.
I also experimented with adding 1-2 Tbsp of canola oil and leaving out an equal amount of the coconut — which also worked well.
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe.
9:12 PM, January 27, 2007
————————–
Anonymous said…
My husband and I tried this recipe tonite – it was delicious! (We had it for dessert rather than for breakfast.) I used my Bosch Mixer, and it worked really well. http://www.spoilthecook.com/Results.cfm?category=6
I’ve bookmarked your site – I’ll keep checking back for more great recipes. Thanks!
9:53 PM, February 11, 2007
————————–
MCH said…
Hi Susan: I just found this recipe today after searching your recipe index for a muffin recipe. I just finished eating a piece and it’s delicious! I used some dried coconut (smaller bits than the flakes) and it came out quite nice. I also made my own chai with good British tea bags (Typhoo decaf) and some tea masala from Kenya (Tropical Heat Brand). I’ll be putting a piece in my daughter’s lunch tomorrow! btw- I am also addicted to your Lite Goddess Dressing. I love it! Thanks for the wonderful cooking resource.
9:10 PM, March 25, 2007
————————–
Kayleen said…
Just wanted to thank you for a delicious recipe! I was skeptical because I’ve tried several low-fat baking recipes that have turned out really badly (rubbery, flavourless), but this recipe suffers from neither of those afflictions. It has a light, muffin-like texture, and a very nice, mildly sweet, slightly spicy taste. It’s great!
7:06 PM, April 15, 2007
————————–
Anonymous K said…
I just tried my bread I made last night! Made it in a loaf pan and replaced two extra ripe bananas for apple sauce and used 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup sweetener as well as coconut extract in place of almond. This bread is AMAZING, soo moist and so healthy! I cannot believe this has no eggs in it. KUDOS to you 🙂 keep postin. P.S The Chai adds the most wonderful “secret ingredient” like quality
5:32 AM, April 17, 2007
————————–
Dani said…
I really loved this cake. Thank you for the recipe. I made it this evening, because looked so good, and posted about it on my blog: http://sweetavenuebakeshop.com/blog
8:20 PM, June 10, 2007
————————–
Anonymous Maegan said…
celestial seasons makes a wonderful Sweet Coconut Thai Chai! I will definitely have to try this recipe using that tea and hope you will consider it as well!
6:04 PM, July 04, 2007
————————–
Anonymous said…
This was amazing! I sent some of it to my junk-food addict, carnivorous father and he thought it was great! (didn’t tell him where i got the recipe or what was in it!) I used Yogi Tea’s Indian Spice, which is naturally decaf and definitely on the spicey side. I thought the cake had the perfect level of spicey-ness. Oh, and I used coconut extract instead of almond because that’s what i had.
11:43 PM, August 24, 2007
————————–
Johanna said…
Hi Susan – just made this coconut chai cake and really enjoyed it as a change from the richer cakes I usually make – it especially pleased my partner and I plan on making it again for snacks – thought I would say thanks!
6:10 AM, January 20, 2008
————————–
Gioia said…
Dear Susan,
I just made this cake yesterday for a friend of mine coming for tea.
It came out great, spicy and slightly gooey, which I like.
Tonight I’m trying your lasagna (and consider I’m Italian!)
Thanks for all your great tips.
7:28 AM, February 14, 2008
————————–
Private Chef said…
Hi there,
I just stumbled accross your blog by using stumbleupon and love the design of the whole thing! I normally skip straight past food blogs as I have over 20 in my RSS and dont even have enough time to read the ones that I have! I am started out as a myself and always tried to keep the design simple like yours as I think it is crucial, especially if you can back it up with some nice food pics like yours! Keep up the good work and if you feel like sharing some of the photos with other foodies pop over to http://www.ifoods.tv which is my new site for foodies! Cheers!
11:55 AM, April 17, 2008
————————–
Christie said…
Hi Susan,
I wanted to let you know that I tried this last night. It’s wonderful and so easy to make. I used all whole wheat flour and turned them into cupcakes. I will definitely make it again. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
7:30 AM, July 12, 2008
————————–
Anonymous Lillian said…
Susan, I just made this cake for my homeroom and everyone that tried it loved it. It was a lot more simple than I expected and I am delighted with the outcome! Thanks for all you do! Happy Holidays!
7:39 PM, December 17, 2008
————————–
elsa said…
Dear Susan,
Thank you so much for the idea of this recipe, I tried it today and it came out fabulous, with ‘un goût très fin’ as the French would put it (sorry, I’m lacking English gourmet words!).
Just a thought though, from what I see you try to keep your recipes as simple as possible, and while fetching the ingredients I thought I would need to buy applesauce before realizing that applesauce is the simplest thing to make in a kitchen (ok, you still need to cut the apples…). It lengthened the preparation time a bit, but with good music, it wasn’t a problem!
Thanks heaps, I’ll try to make the French like vegan recipes now 🙂
elsa
9:18 PM, January 03, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Gwen said…
I loved this cake, but my non-vegan family and friends weren’t quite as impressed. I think the problem was that I advertised it as a coffee cake, and it really has more of a muffin-like consistency. Next time I’m going to try making muffins or use a loaf pan instead… it’s weird how the name you give things can change people’s response to what their eating.
I had a question about the oatmeal. I used old-fashioned oats, but the packaging doesn’t say “quick” anywhere. I know they’re not instant, but I’m not sure if they’re quick. Are there other ways to tell?
4:54 AM, March 16, 2009
————————–
SusanV said…
Hi Gwen, sorry about your family’s reaction. About the oatmeal–the quick kind takes less time to cook than the regular and will say “quick” on the package. If all the oatmeal cooked okay–didn’t leave little uncooked chunks–then it probably doesn’t matter if you use regular old-fashioned oats. I just indicated quick because that’s what I used.
7:28 AM, March 16, 2009
————————–
AlaskanPeaches said…
I made this delicious cake last night, and my partner loves it. My only negative comment is that the texture is somewhat rubbery. I had to bake it in a bundt pan because someone stole the regular cake pans from my dorm, but that shouldn’t have made that much of a difference. I tried pretty hard not to over-stir it, so i’m a little confused about why this may be.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks!
8:15 AM, March 31, 2009
————————–
Anonymous moonwatcher said…
HI Susan,
Well, I’m here to report another magical muffin transformation. . .this made lovely muffins with the homemade gluten free baking mix I’ve come up with thanks to Karina’s blog. I dropped the sugar down to 1/2 cup and added 2 tbs of agave nectar. I also had this little ripe organic mango from Mexico that was on sale at my co-op, and I got the idea to puree some of it for the applesauce part. Since I can’t do coconut, I shredded carrots and added coconut extract in with the almond and vanilla. I baked them at 375 for about 18 minutes. It made ten muffins. Oh, and I put one of them in a silicone muffin cup and it came out fine after letting it cool, so now I think it is okay to use those with the gluten free mix. Anyway, thought you’d enjoy this new riff on an old delicious favorite!
Thanks again!
moonwatcher
10:36 PM, April 06, 2009
————————–
Cassandra said…
Wow how original! Chai + cake = has to be good!
Unfortunately, I am also one of those people who can’t find unsweetened flaked coconut in my town—I’ll have to get some the next time I am in Savannah, Ga.
Thanks for such a lovely recipe!
8:17 AM, April 17, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Jenn (TinyChoices.com said…
As a brand new vegan, you’ve tempted me with this chai cake! I’m a chai fiend… so I can’t wait to try this one out, either as a cake or muffins.
Wonder what type of frosting or glaze would work with this recipe… maybe a vanilla glaze with coconut flakes?
10:41 PM, April 21, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Jenn (TinyChoices.com said…
Oops– also wondering about using agave instead of sugar– are there any substitutions I’d need to make, for density?
10:42 PM, April 21, 2009
————————–
SusanV said…
You could try using agave nectar instead of sugar and increase the flour by a tablespoon or two. For a glaze, I would skip sprinkling the top with coconut and add the glaze after they’re cooked–then add the coconut on top. If you want to stick with agave nectar, you could use it as a glaze but it won’t be as thick as one made with confectioner’s sugar.
7:35 AM, April 22, 2009
————————–
Laura said…
I made this last night, I replaced 1/4 C of the sugar w/ 5 packets of truvia (stevia and something out of a grapefruit, they just started selling it here) I also replaced the coconut w/ grated carrot ( I still sprinkeled some coconut on top).
The results were very good, it didn’t taste low-fat. I used double spice chai and doubled the ginger.
Thank you for the great recipe!
6:26 AM, April 24, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Corrine said…
This is my first attempt at vegan baking..this made my entire apartment smell amazing! Really tastey thank you! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!!
7:54 PM, April 26, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Amy said…
Thank you for this recipe! It got a “YUM” rating from my non-vegan husband who also does not like coconut. I used an additional 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ground cardamon and doubled the ginger and tea bags.
5:59 PM, April 27, 2009
————————–
ccrock said…
Love, love, love your recipes. I’ve made this cake several times, to rave reviews. It is so moist and rich, no one would guess it has no added fat, let alone vegan! I am a McDougaller, and really appreciate your blog!
11:16 AM, April 28, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Schmee said…
I am planning on making this cake for my sister, the moment I saw the recipe, I knew it would be her DREAM cake… coconut AND chai? very ideal! But before I embark on this, I was wondering what type of vinegar you use… could I use apple cider vinegar? Thank you so much for your time and most of all, DELICIOUS recipes 🙂
1:13 AM, May 04, 2009
————————–
SusanV said…
Schmee, apple cider vinegar would be fine. Hope your sister enjoys it!
6:50 AM, May 04, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Adriana said…
My mother and I absolutely love this cake! I only used half of the recipe because it’s only her and myself. It was the perfect amount spice and sweetness. Definitely looking forward to having some with coffee tomorrow. Great recipe!
10:51 PM, May 10, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Schmee said…
My sister absolutely loved it… we will be makin this many many times in the future, thank you! (I only had unsweetened shredded coconut, and sweetened flaked, so I used the shredded for the inside and flaked on top, and was really pleased with the texture)
2:30 PM, May 13, 2009
————————–
Anonymous said…
This was really yummy! I’m glad to find some healthy and tasty recipes. I LOVE the chai flavor!
I’m new to working with vegan recipes, and I noticed it has a much moister texture than other (non-vegan) cakes/muffins – is this typical of vegan baking?
About finding the unsweetened coconut – my grocery store only has sweetened coconut in the baking section, but they carry the unsweetened kind in the produce section.
== Cynthia
5:59 PM, May 13, 2009
————————–
Anonymous said…
I would love to try this recipe for my daughter (who has an oat allergy). Is there anything that you would recommend as a substitution for oats without compromising the flavor and texture? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
8:54 PM, May 22, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Kelsey said…
It’s in the oven now and smells absolutely delicious!!
12:44 PM, May 31, 2009
————————–
Anonymous Lori said…
Hi Susan, I made this today, and it is delicious! I’m going to try not to eat the whole thing myself. 🙂
6:01 PM, May 31, 2009
————————–
Jaimee said…
I just finished eating (not by myself!) the third installation of this cake that I’ve made in the last three weeks. Yes, that means about one a week. The first time I made it exactly as the recipe called for, except I used all whole wheat flour. It was tasty, but a little bit boring.
The second time, I used buckwheat flour because a gluten-free friend was coming over. I also added some diced fresh ginger. It was a little closer, but it was dry.
For this last one, which was amazing, I added a ton of fresh ginger (probably and inch and a half by 3/4ths of an inch) and currants. I increased the chai (I used Stash’s Double Spice Chai Black Tea, two teabags, yum) to a cup and a half because I knew the currants would absorb the water. I also added a decent bit of Allspice and nutmeg, because I love spice.
The fresh bites of ginger and currant add a few calories, but it’s so worth it. It’s amazing and delicious (not that the original wasn’t!). Of course, if you don’t like strong flavors, it’s probably awful. My husband categorized it by saying that I had “kicked the flavor knob up to 11.”
… I’m going to make another gluten-free one for this weekend too. I’m going to turn into chai cake, but that wouldn’t be so bad!
3:36 PM, June 10, 2009
Karen @ Fickle Feast
Susan – Just wanted to let your gluten-free readers know I worked up a GF version of this cake that I really love, subbing quinoa flakes for the oatmeal and using a mixture of my favorite gluten-free flours. I also added raisins, just because I like raisins in spicy-sweet breakfast things. Gluten-free folks are invited to stop by Fickle Feast if they want in on the coconut chai yumminess!
Buku Chic
i added cardamom and upped the spices because i was out of ginger. turned out AMAZING, especially straight out of the oven. thank you susan!!
The Heil's
I made this last night for a friends birthday at work. They really liked it! I'm a new vegan and still trying to get the flavors of food I used to eat and this satisfied my craving!
What I did differently- I bought pre-brewed tea and added some nutmeg. I used white balsamic vinegar because it's all I had. And I ended up using 1 1/2 tsp vanilla because I don't have almond extract.
Next time- This tasted great but I like to experiment. Next time I will use walnuts instead of coconut and add rasins. Maybe even a tsp of rum or something.
Thank you for the wonderful recpie- it's the first of yours I've tried and I look forward to trying more!
angelche
can you give me a sugar-free version, I would really love to try this.
SusanV
As a matter of fact, I have a sugar-free version here.
Tracey
Fantastic cake! I didn’t have coconut so I added some dried cherries (diced) and it was perfect. Thanks for a guilt free breakfast treat. I had 1/2 a serving with some coffee and I’m totally satisfied. Froze the rest in individual servings to make sure I didn’t indulge in the whole pan today. Thanks again!
Laina
Susan, this was soooooooo delicious. I’ve been wanting to make this for a long time and tonight was the night. 🙂
Dh has diabetes so I used splenda. Not a perfect sugar-free choice, I know.
I used all white wheat and used 1/2 cup applesauce and it worked perfectly. I will be making this often.
Thank your daughter for me. I tried it because she liked it so much. 🙂
Gabe
I just recently started the South Beach Diet and I’m looking everywhere for great recipes. Once I get to phase 2 (where we can gradually introduce ‘good’ carbs back into the diet) I will most definitely be trying this recipe. I love anything with Chai, and this sounds delicious!!! Susan – you think I can use 1 1/2 cups of the wheat flour replacing the “1/2 cup unbleached white flour” all together? I just added you on Facebook, I can’t wait to see what else you got on there :). I don’t have the discipline to be Vegan, but every bit helps I suppose.
SusanV
HI Gabe–Feel free to use all whole wheat flour. You may need to add a little more liquid, depending on your flour. Good luck and see you on Facebook!
Zoe MacLean
Hi Susan,
I noticed in your sugar free recipe you used stevia, and although I’m not familiar with it, I know of a better, all natural alternative. It’s called Xylitol and it’s actually good for your teeth and gums as well! The brand that my family buys (I can’t recall it now though, so I don’t suppose I’m being particularly helpful) is derived from corn cores, so it’s also pretty environmentally friendly. It also substitutes (tsp for tsp, or cup for cup) beautifully into baked goods as well as tea and coffee etc.
Also, I baked this cake this morning and I’ll definitely be doing it again, especially after seeing some of the changes other readers made, I feel like experimenting with it now 🙂 Thanks
SusanV
Thanks for the suggestion, Zoe, but stevia is 100% natural. It’s the pure extract of the stevia plant. I have one growing in my garden and it’s naturally sweet. I’ve tried xylitol and didn’t like the flavor, but I’m happy that you found something you like.
agapi2012
Great breakfast bread. Or snack bread. I like drizzling a little agave on it. Chai and coconut go so well together. Great recipe. I may seep the tea bags in coconut milk next time to add more coconut flavor.
Lori
These are just delicious! I made mine into muffins. Wonderful as always, and thank you so much!
Erin
This sounds delicious. Any suggestions for coconut substitutions that don’t involve dried fruit?
Allison
I made this tonight with my friends and we loved it! I’m not vegan but my two friends are, and we all agreed this cake was moist and delicious. The coconut added a really nice texture, and the cake was the perfect amount of sweetness. Thanks for the recipe!
Emily
As soon as I saw this I knew I needed to try it. I added a little nutmeg and they turned out wonderfully. I’m considering adding pumpkin in place of the applesauce next time and adding pecans or raisins. Great versatile recipe!
Amy
I made this cake but I added and substituted some things, I didn’t have chai so I used coconut milk and upped the spices and added chinese 5 spice and nutmeg.. I also added pecans and used apple cider vinegar and 1/2 real organic sugar and 1/2 brown sugar. I also added a brown sugar and coconut topping. Turned out delicious!! Thanks. Hope I didn’t butcher your recipe too much!!
Meghan
Wow. This was amazingly easy and super delicious!!! Definitely my favorite recipe on the whole blog!!! I ate the whole pan in one day they were so good!!! (gotta slow down next time). Thanks so much Susan you saved my mornings from dull breakfasts!
Cook 4 Vegan Family
Susan I’ve been following your blog since the summer and have thoroughly been enjoying your recipes. Very tasty and easy coffee cake recipe. I think next time I might add walnuts to the batter. Thanks for the tasty Saturday breakfast.
Angie
So excited to find your site. I’m making this cake for dessert tonight and the grilled balsamic vegetable dish for dinner. Thanks for the great ideas. I’m your newest fan!
Miriam
Susan – I wonder if you can tell me more about your stevia plant. I grew one last year and was thinking it would come back this year, but it didn’t. Is it a perennial? What type of climate does it like? Do you dry the leaves to get the stevia to use or do you use fresh leaves, or what?
thanks!
Karen T
Yum! I just made this. I was worried about it being too dense, so I put a tiny bit of baking powder in and it’s delicious! I may try pumpkin instead of apple sauce like someone suggested next time. Thanks for all your great recipes 🙂
Brenda
Very good. My husband loved it and i took some to work and it was gone when I went home. With rave reviews. I doubled the recipe and put in a larger pan. I will make again…….but I may try cutting down the sugar some. Thanks for the recipe.
Jaclyn
Just made this recipe with my boys this morning. They asked for seconds. And thirds! Very yummy! Great recipe; thanks!
Marina
Hi Susan
Can I make this cake without the almond extract? Do u have any suggestion? Thanks
SusanV
Sure, it just adds a little flavor, so you can leave it out and increase one of the other flavorings a little.
lea
I made this cake over the weekend for the third time and it came out absolutely perfect! This is going to be my “go to” recipe for potlucks – YUM! Thanks Susan.
SS
I was wondering if I can use fresh, grated coconut instead of the flaked coconut?
SusanV
I think it should work fine.
Chris
Wow that looks amazing i must try the recipe soon. I love coconut and chai, 2 of my favorite flavors.
http://www.vegankingdom.co.uk
Heidi
I tried this recipe last night and really liked it, although I THINK I might reduce the almond extract to 1/4 teaspoon–I found that the almond flavor overpowered everything else, and I couldn’t even taste the chai, ginger, or anything else. Also, to fancy it up a bit, I might sprinkle some crystallized ginger along with the coconut on top. Still, a quick and easy cake to make, and it only dirtied one bowl (and didn’t even require my mixer)!
Thanks again, Susan.
ms_min
This was terrific and I’ll make it again. Wondering along with a commenter from 2009 about the texture. What might improve it?
lea
I made this cake for my very un-vegan mother-in-law’s birthday. I doubled the recipe and made a big sheet cake. Also added raisins and vegan cream cheese frosting (I know, so bad for us, but hey, it was a celebration). Oh WOW, the cake was Amazing! The super sweet frosting went perfectly with the subtly sweet cake. I had to give away the remaining pieces so that I wouldn’t eat it all myself. Have now made this cake many times and it is always a winner!
Shirley S
Now I have made 3 different versions of this cake. First time, justas you shared using a gingerbread tea, did not have Chai, but this is very similar. The next time I used double Berg Earl Grey from Stash teas, with orange extract rather than almond and added some chopped apricots. Last night I made one using Biglow Blueberry tea bags, lemon extract and some frozen blueberries. I also made a lemon glaze to add on top and had cut the sugar in the cake. This is a great concept recipe that is working beautifully no matter the flavor of tea I have been using. Thank you so much, I love this one small cake, that is nice and dense. I have been wrapping peices individually and then into freezer for lunches.
Heidi
We love this cake! Like others have said, it’s GREAT that it’s a one-bowl recipe, and my kids think they’re really getting something decadent. Yay!
I don’t know if I should post this on a fat-free website, but I un-fat-freed it for a school cupcake fundraiser: still used whole wheat pastry flour, which I’ve been doing all along, but used oil instead of applesauce; topped them with a vegan buttercream frosting; and then topped that with toasted coconut. They were AMAZING!!! Maybe a gateway drug into vegan-ness for some? 🙂 Thanks for this recipe. We really use it!
Angela
This recipe came up via facebook i think and i made it for breakfast the next night. I have been working on getting my tasebuda back in order since over eating in the sugar dept somthiss looked good. I dont have any dry sugar in the house so i substituted rice syrup 1/3 cup..that was all i changed. Both my husband and i found it substantial, tasty and satisfying. I take a slice to work as well. I have made it a few times now. Occasionally, i top it with a low fat yoghurt..this makes a yummy dessert. I really enjoyngetting the status updates on facebook and have tryed many things. Thanks for all your hard work Susan.
Best wishes
Angela from Adelaide, Australia
Sari
This turns out perfect every time. Thanks for the wicked recipe!
Jenniffer
This looks absolutely fabulous! I’m going to try it with 100% fresh-ground whole wheat flour, and use dates instead of sugar or stevia. I make a delicious zucchini bread that is sugarless and instead uses dates, non-dairy milk and shredded apple for the moisture. I’m sure a combination of these two awesome recipes will make this a staple in our home:) Thank you!
Alexa
I love this recipe! I have made a couple tweaks with great success. I have added mini vegan chocolate chips and my omni husband loves it for breakfast. OR recently I added about a half cup of shredded carrot on top of the half cup coconut. It’s fantastic!!!! Thanks so much for all your great recipes!
Sue
Would it be possible for nutritional info to be in 100g as well as per portion x
Susan Voisin
Sorry, Sue, but my software won’t do that.
Alice
That recipe looks amazing! I don’t have any wheat flour on hand, could I use 1 1/2 cups of AP flour or should I increase it to 2 cups, since wheat flour is more dense?
Susan Voisin
I haven’t made it with AP flour but I would just add two tablespoons to the amount called for in the recipe.
Loretta Morandin
I added half a cup of coconut yoghurt for extra fat and subd self raising flour for the plain flour for more fluff.
Will be making again.