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Isn’t this Earl Grey Tea Cake absolutely gorgeous? I just love how it turned out! Typically, tea cakes are mini cakes served alongside an afternoon cup of tea, but this cake is the whole package – tea and cake rolled into one. Of course, you can definitely enjoy this tasty treat with a hot cup of tea. However, it’s just as good on its own.
This dessert may look fancy, but it’s actually pretty easy to make. The secret ingredient, as you may have guessed, is Earl Grey.
Start by microwaving a cup of milk for 90 seconds, or until warm. Add in 5 tea bags and stir briefly. Cover with tin foil to retain heat and infuse the hot milk for 12-15 minutes, or until the milk is a caramel color and very fragrant. Strain the milk, making sure to squeeze everything out of the tea bags for extra flavor.
Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in flour, lemon zest, baking powder, and milk until combined.
Spoon mixture into a prepared cake dish and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 hour until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, go ahead and make the Earl Grey glaze. Combine powdered sugar, butter, 4 tablespoons of strongly steeped Earl Grey tea, and a few drops of purple food coloring in a double boiler. Cook until icing is melted, glossy, and smooth. Cut the cake into pieces and drizzle the icing on top! You can serve with some extra lemon zest or some edible flowers if you’re feeling fancy. If you’re ready to take tea time to the next level, check out the recipe below!
Earl Grey Tea Cakes
Cake
- 1 cup milk
- 5 Earl Grey tea bags
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
- 1 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
Earl Grey Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3-4 tablespoons Earl Grey tea (strongly steeped)
- 1-2 drops of purple food coloring (for a lilac color)
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease an 8-inch cake tin and line it with parchment paper.
- Microwave the milk for 90 seconds, or until warm. Add the tea bags and stir briefly. Cover with a piece of foil. Infuse the hot milk for 12-15 minutes, until the milk is a caramel color and very fragrant.
- Strain the milk into a measuring cup, to remove the tea bags. Squeeze the bags over the milk to extract all of the flavor. You should have 1 cup of milk. Cool until the milk is room temperature.
- Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in flour, lemon zest, baking powder, and milk until combined.
- Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 hour until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Earl Grey Glaze
- For the glaze, place all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl and melt over a double boiler until the icing is melted, glossy, and smooth.
- Cut cake into slices and cover with the glaze (so the glaze drips down each piece). Let dry on a wire rack positioned over a baking sheet to catch the drips.
Recipe adapted from Taste Made.
