Soy Chai Tea Latte Chiffon Cake

i always loved the smell of Chai Tea Lattes! the taste, however, i wasn't ever too fond of. work'n as a Barista @ Starbucks for 6 yrs, i never really drank anything aside from whole milk w/ peppermint & vanilla syrups, apple juice, soy hot chocolate w/ almond syrup, Tazoberry (long-gone frozen sugary berry drink) & when Starbucks brought the Green Tea Latte, all i ever drank from then on was soy green tea latte :)

back to Chai! i indeed always loved the smell of it! and i always somehow loved Chai lattes made w/ soymilk, it just seem'd to be a perfect blend. but i never drank it, or enjoy'd it. LOL!

but recently, after buy'n a mini-fridge w/ a freezer, to solely make ice & house beverages (and ice cream, and butter), now i have 24/7 access to ice cubes, so all the possibilities of drink'n cold drinks at home became realities. within the endless list of cold drinks, soy chai was one of them, along with thai iced tea, bubble tea, strawberry lemonade, iced espresso drinks, etc. happy happy joy joy!

i start'd slow with soy chai's, add'n a splash for taste to my glass of soymilk. then i start'd craving it here & there. then i made chai cupcakes, twice! once for a baby shower & once w/ cinnamon cream cheese frosting. today, i made 2 mini chiffon cakes :) i had want'd to make these for a whole month now. had want'd to make it for Helen's bday, but i got lazy & distract'd. i still owe her one. think i'll send one her way today :)

i frost'd them w/ vanilla whip'd cream & pop'd on some fondant flowers. i made 2 tablespoons of fondant!!!

Soy Chai Tea Latte Chiffon Cake

2 eggs, separated
60g granulated sugar
95g flour
1t baking powder
1/2t salt
30ml soymilk
30ml Tazo Chai Tea concentrate
1/2t vanilla extract

1. preheat oven to 350F.
2. in a bowl, whisk yolks & 30g sugar until pale, add soymilk, chai concentrate & vanilla extract. mix.
3. in another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder & salt.
4. in a clean & dry bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, sprinkle 30g sugar in, continue to beat until meringue is very stiff
5. fold in half of meringue into the yolk mixture, fold in half the flour mixture. repeat. do not overmix. when batter is blended, pour batter into pan(s) & bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

i used 2 4-inch mini chiffon cake pans. after the cakes are done baking, turn them upside down in a bowl to prevent sinking.

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant

1 bag of mini marshmallows (10.5 oz bag)
8 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup water
cornstarch

microwave marshmallows on half-power for 2 minutes with the water. mix. microwave longer, in 30 second intervals, as needed, until no longer chunky. add all the sugar. mix well. it's gonna be STICKY!!! dump mixture on a clean surface dust'd with cornstarch & knead until it's no longer sticky. wrap with saran wrap, leave at room temperature for 1 hour. knead to use. color. cut. cover cake. let dry. etc.

for the 2 tablespoons of fondant, i used 20 marshmallows, 1/2t water & 10t powdered sugar. kinda wing'd it. then i knead'd it with cornstarch. :)

ENJOY!