Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup chai concentrate, such as Oregon Chai
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 1/2-2 1/2 tablespoons chai concentrate, as needed
• 1/2 cup crystallized ginger

Instructions

1. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°.

2. Prepare a bundt pan by brushing with melted butter and sprinkling with flour, tapping out the excess flour.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

4. Cream the butter and sugar till creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mix thoroughly, stop and scrape as you go to ensure even mixing.

5. Add the flour mixture and chai alternately, beginning and ending with the flour in three parts and the chai in two parts. Mix thoroughly after each addition.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for about 40 – 45 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed gently with a finger. Cool on a rack for about 20 – 30 minutes, depan and cool completely. (Place in freezer at this point to aid in glazing).

7. To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar with the spices and stir in the chai extract, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth, thick yet pourable glaze. It should be thick and ropy to cling to the cake. Set the cake on a rack over a plate and spoon the glaze in a circular fashion over the cake. Let it fall in place or smooth with an offset spatula, as you like. After a few minutes, spoon the dripped glaze from the plate back over the cake. Press the crystallized ginger onto the glaze as it sets, if using.