Preheat your oven to 325°F . With cooking spray, spray the bottom of 2 8 inch rounds, line with parchment paper and spray the bottom and sides.
In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ground cloves, and freshly cracked black pepper. Set aside.
In a stand size mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room-temperature butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes.
With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. About 30 seconds on medium speed for each egg. Remember to scrape the bottom and sides after each addition.
On low speed, mix in the pure vanilla extract and oil. Mix just until added.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, homemade chai spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, add them to the butter and sugar mixture in three parts, alternating with the sour cream. Mix until just combined after each addition. Be careful not to overmix.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pans and using a back of the spoon or a small offset spatua, spread it evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs
Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cool, you can frost it with your choice of frosting, cream cheese frosting pairs wonderfully with chai spice flavors.
For the almond caramel sauce
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Stir gently to moisten the sugar. Make sure there are no sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Stir in the light corn syrup, which helps prevent crystallization.
Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil without stirring. The sugar will dissolve and begin to turn amber in color. This process may take around 8-10 minutes.
Be careful not to let it burn; caramel can go from amber to burnt quickly. Once the caramel has reached the amber color, remove the saucepan from the heat immediately.
Slowly and carefully pour the heavy cream into the caramel while stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble up vigorously, so use caution to avoid splatters. Continue stirring until the caramel and cream are fully combined.
Stir in the unsalted butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Keep stirring until the butter has melted, and the caramel sauce is smooth and creamy.
Allow the caramel sauce to cool for a few minutes in the saucepan. Then, transfer it to a heatproof container or glass jar. Let it cool to room temperature. As it cools, it will thicken.
For the cream cheese frosting
In a stand size mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese together on medium high speed until they are creamy and well combined. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
Add the pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and all the chai spices (cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ground cloves, and a pinch of fresh cracked black pepper) to the mixture. Mix on medium speed until combined
Begin adding the powdered sugar gradually, one cup at a time, while mixing on low speed.
Drizzle in the heavy whipping cream as you continue to mix. This will help achieve a creamy and spreadable consistency.
Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat the frosting for 2-3 minutes until it's smooth, creamy, and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well combined.
Assembly
Ensure that your cake layers has cooled completely before assembling. Level the cakes if needed. Start by placing a cake layer bottom side down on your serving platter, cake board, or cake stand.
Spread a generous layer of cream cheese frosting evenly over the top of the first cake layer. Use an offset spatula to make it smooth and level. Drizzle a little amount of caramel sauce on top.
Repeat this step, and this time, place the cake layer bottom side up!
Apply a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting around the entire cake and freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Pour the caramel sauce on top of the cake and serve at room temperature.