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Chocolate Chip Cake

Chocolate Chip Butter Tea Cake

Soft, buttery, and ready in under an hour. This is a simple recipe that works every time. This tea cake is for those afternoons when you want something fresh from the oven with your chai or coffee, without a long list of ingredients or fancy equipment. It has a tender, fluffy crumb and a rich buttery flavour, with melty chocolate chips in every slice. The light texture comes from whisking the eggs and sugar over hot water until the mixture turns pale and airy. Melted butter and warm milk then bring everything together into a smooth, silky batter. What I really love about this cake is how dependable it is. It’s perfect for beginners, uses basic pantry ingredients, and suits tea-time, lunchboxes, or a last-minute guest.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8 Slice
Course: Dessert, tea time snack
Cuisine: Bakery
Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake Batter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour maida
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ⅛ tsp salt
For the Butter Milk Mixture
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup butter
For Mixing In
  • Chocolate chips optional

Method
 

Method
    Whisk the Eggs
    1. Place the eggs, sugar, and vanilla essence in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water. Whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture turns light and pale.
    2. This step is important because warming the eggs helps them trap more air. That gives the cake its soft, fluffy crumb.
    Add the Dry Ingredients
    1. Sieve the flour, baking powder, and salt directly into the egg mixture.
    2. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid over-mixing, as this keeps the batter light.
    Make the Butter Milk Mixture
    1. Warm the milk and butter together in a small pan until the butter melts completely.
    2. Pour this into the batter and mix until smooth and glossy.
    3. Tip: Add the milk mixture while it’s warm, not boiling hot, so it doesn’t cook the eggs.
    Add the Chocolate Chips
    1. Fold in the chocolate chips, saving a few to sprinkle on top if you like.
    Bake
    1. Pour the batter into a greased tin and level the top.
    2. Bake at 180°C for 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
    Final Touch
    1. Let the cake cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.
    2. Slice and serve with your favourite cup of tea.

    Video

    Notes

    Final Result

    A soft, buttery tea cake with a light crumb and pockets of melted chocolate. It’s simple enough for any day of the week and good enough to share.
    Tip: Warming the eggs over hot water gives the cake a light, fluffy crumb.
    Save this for your next tea-time bake.