There’s something about chai spices that just feel like fall to my soul. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger—those notes have a way of warming you from the inside out when the temps start to get a little more chilly. I’ve been craving something simple to bake in my little Bundt pan, and since spice cake is hands down one of the treats I look forward to each fall, it came to be with a slight twist: a tender vanilla olive oil cake with chia seeds and a cozy chai spice.
Olive oil cakes have always been my quiet favorite. One of my best friends even made me an olive oil cake for my birthday last year – she just knows me like that! They’re not showy; they don’t need a tower of frosting or layers of ganache to make their point (which I don’t really love anyways, as someone more about the cake than the frosting in any cupcake scenario). Olive oil gives gentle floral richness that stays moist for days in a cake, and the chia seeds in this one in particular do what they do best—hold on to just enough moisture to keep every slice soft and lovely even days after sitting out on the table.
If you’ve never baked with chia before, think of it as nature’s tiny binder. Most people are very familiar with egg, but chia does an even better job if you ask me. When stirred into liquid, the seeds create a subtle gel that works exactly like an egg would. It gives the crumb a delicate structure while also keeping things lush. The texture it adds is faintly speckled and just a touch earthy, which plays beautifully against the smooth vanilla and the warmth of chai.
The chai here is everything though that makes this. I like using cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves… a little nutmeg if you are feeling crazy, and feel free to add more than I recommended to match your mood. But what I listed in the recipe should be just enough to make the kitchen smell like you’ve been steeping a pot of tea all afternoon once its all in the oven baking. If you want a stronger tea note like a professional would, you can even warm your plant milk and steep a chai tea bag in it first. Let it cool before whisking it in with your chia seeds; the flavor is deeper that way.
Because this recipe is scaled for a smaller Bundt pan (around 6 cups), it’s the kind of cake that feels personal. You could serve it with coffee on a slow morning or bring it to a dinner where people will cut smaller, grateful slices. It’s the sort of dessert that feels like an everyday luxury—sweet, but not loud about it.
When it comes out of the oven, I like to wait until it’s just cool enough to touch before flipping it onto a rack. The powdered sugar topping is optional, but I can’t resist it. You could even turn it into a quick glaze if you’d like — A quick whisk of powdered sugar, a splash of plant milk, and a hint of vanilla, then letting it drip down the grooves catching the light like thin ribbons of frosting. A dusting of powdered sugar finishes it perfectly too though.
This cake is vegan, yes, but I promise no one will notice or care. What they WILL notice is how good it smells, how soft it stays, and how each bite tastes a little like the season.
Serve it with a cup of black tea or your favorite oat milk latte, and save a slice from dessert for a sweet breakfast tomorrow. (It’s even better the next day!)
Vegan Vanilla Chai Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- 6-cup Bundt pan
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Dry:
- 1 ¾ cups 220 g all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper optional but lovely
Wet:
- ¾ cup 180 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup 150 g organic cane sugar
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup 240 ml unsweetened plant milk (almond, oat, or soy)
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Optional topping:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Pinch of cinnamon or chai spice for dusting Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease your Bundt pan generously with olive oil or baking spray and lightly dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
- In a small bowl, whisk together chia seeds and plant milk. Let sit for 10–15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until it thickens into a gel.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices until evenly blended.
- In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, sugar, vanilla, and vinegar until smooth. Add the chia-milk gel and whisk until uniform.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet in two additions, whisking gently just until no dry streaks remain. The batter will be thick and glossy—don’t overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the top springs back and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely before topping.
- Dust powdered sugar lightly over cake, adding in cinnamon or chai spice if preferred.