Hello to all you non-chocolate lovers out there! This Earl Grey Tea Cake pairs three moist and tender earl grey cake layers with refreshing and tangy orange cream cheese buttercream. Prepare to amaze your tastebuds!
I love Earl Grey tea.
For those of you that don't know, Earl Grey is black tea flavoured with bergamot oil, which means it has a citrusy, refreshing note. Bergamot is a type of orange, typically found in Italy or France.
I was eager to try it in a cake form, since I've seen that many bakers use it in baked goods. So, last weekend (actually the one before) I finally decided to go for it and the cake was a HUGE hit!
It's definitely a new favourite in the family, although some of them were sceptical at the mention of flavours. Well, I showed them well, didn't I? 😉
I knew I wanted to pair the cake with orange ermine buttercream (which you already know is my all-time favourite), but I was thinking of adding some cream cheese to it just to boost that orange, tangy flavour even more.
I've never done that before, so I thought this was a good chance to experiment. The thing was, I didn't know should I incorporate it in the end, or in the beginning.
I knew that some people beat the cream cheese and butter together and then add powdered sugar (when making American Buttercream), so I thought this will be a good way to go.
Well... I thought wrong.
The cream cheese and the butter wouldn't emulsify to form a silky texture, but I went with it anyways.
I thought that once I start adding milk pudding to it, it would come together. Aaaaand... that's strike two for me.
The buttercream wasn't silky enough for beautiful decorating, but it was still oh-so-delicious, so I carried on with it, nevertheless.
It wasn't Instagram worthy, but who cares - I looked at it as a test run. 😉
And this way I got to make the cake again correcting all my mistakes. And trust me when I say - nobody complaint! Yup, that's how good it is.
How to bring out Earl Grey flavour
I used my vanilla cake recipe as a base and went from there. I was thinking of ways to bring out the earl grey flavour and infused milk seemed like the best option.
I've had some loose leaf earl grey tea at home, so I steeped some in hot milk for 20 minutes.
It smelled ah-mazing! Seriously, I wanted to make a comfy hot beverage out of it, it should totally be a thing if it isn't already 😀
Since I wasn't too sure that milk would be enough, I decided to make an earl grey sugar syrup because using cordial in my Lemon & Elderflower Cake was a success, and I didn't want to risk not having enough flavour coming through.
I made a strong tea which I then combined with the same amount of sugar and cooked on a medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, until it thickened and went all syrupy.
The stuff is delicious, and you can use it as a topping for your pancakes, waffles - whatever you like!
Orange Cream Cheese Buttercream
Since the cake was such a success, I didn't change a thing when I made it again.
Actually, flavourwise - the frosting was a success, too. As you may already know, I'm much more a cake lover, than frosting lover.
But let me tell you, this one? I just kept on "testing" it all the time with my spoon. It's very refreshing, orange and cream cheese compliment one another beautifully, so I kept all the ingredients the same - it's the method that I changed.
So, the second time around - I decided to make the buttercream and THEN added beaten cream cheese in it. As well as the orange juice and zest.
This worked like a charm! It was silky and perfect for piping and decorating! That's one of the many reasons I'm completely in love with ermine buttercream.
Oh, and the fact that it's not too sweet. It balances the flavours beautifully and has just the right amount of sugar in it.
here's some more delicious cake for you
Zebra Marble Layer Cake
Earl Grey Chocolate Cupcakes
Apple Spice Sheet Cake + Blackberry Mascarpone Frosting
Coconut Lime Loaf Cake
Dulce de Leche Banana Cake
I hope you'll give this one a go! Especially if you're not a chocolate lover. Although it has lots of instructions, it's easy to make and I'm pretty sure you'll get some standing ovations regarding the flavour -it's THAT GOOD 🙂
If you do make it, don't forget to let me know by tagging me on Instagram @anasbakingchronicles so I can see it or tell me all about it in the comments section below! 🙂
Love,
Ana
📖 Recipe
Earl Grey Tea Cake
Description
ingredients
Earl Grey Cake
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 240 g all-purpose flour
- 220 g granulated sugar
- 50 g earl grey sugar syrup ((homemade))
- 140 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 145 g earl grey infused milk (room temperature)
- 70 g sour cream (room temperature)
Earl Grey Milk
- 240 g whole milk
- 10 g loose leaf earl grey tea
Earl Grey Syrup
- 150 g water
- 10 g loose leaf earl grey tea
- 150 g granulated sugar
Orange Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 55 g all purpose flour
- 225 g granulated sugar
- 380 g whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 350 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 100 g cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoon orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 2 oranges
White chocolate ganache drip:
- 75 g good quality white chocolate
- 35 g heavy cream
Instructions
Earl Grey Infused Milk
- In a small pot, bring milk to a simmer. Add loose leaf earl grey tea, cover with a small plate and let it steep for 15-20 minutes. Once it's done, strain it to get rid of tea leaves and leave it to cool to room temperature before using.
Earl Grey Syrup
- Bring water to a boil, combine it with tea leaves and let it steep for 5 minutes. Once the tea is done, strain it a small saucepan and combine with sugar. Cook on a medium to high heat until it thickens a bit and form a syrup. Leave it to cool to room temperature before using. (You're not going to use all of it in a cake, but it's hard to make it with smaller quantities.)
Earl Grey Cake
- Preheat your fan oven to 160°C (325°F) or 175˚C (350˚F) if you're not using a fan oven. Grease and line with parchment paper three 6 inch (15 cm) round cake tins. Alternatively, you can use two 8 inch (20 cm) round cake tins.
- In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In a measuring jug combine sour cream, earl grey infused milk and vanilla extract. These are your wet ingredients.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, earl grey syrup and sugar on a medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. (approx. 3 min) Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and add eggs one at a time - making sure it's fully incorporated after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- Add your dry and wet ingredients, alternating between one another, starting and finishing with dry ones. (3 additions of dry and 2 of wet ingredients) Between each addition mix the batter just enough to get it combined, no more than 15 sec, to avoid overmixing the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 3 tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted in the middle comes out with few moist crumbs.
- Once they're done, let the cakes cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack before removing them from the pans to cool completely.
Orange Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In a small saucepan (I always use heavy-bottomed one to prevent burning) combine flour, sugar, salt and milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until it thickens. This can take about 15 minutes. The moment you realize it's getting thicker, cook for another 2-3 minutes. It should be gloopy, almost like a pastry cream.
- Once it's done, strain it through a sieve into a plate, put a cling film over it touching the surface to prevent "skin" forming and let it cool to room temperature. This is your pudding base. You can do this in a fridge, but before using it let it come to room temperature.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 5 minutes until it's pale and fluffy. Then add spoonful by spoonful of previously made pudding. Mix until it's all nicely incorporated and with no lumps. Add room temperature cream cheese, orange juice and zest, vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined.
White Chocolate Ganache Drip
- Place finely chopped chocolate in a bowl. Bring heavy cream just barely to a simmer and pour over chopped chocolate. Cover it with a plate and leave it 1-2 minutes. Stir with a spatula until combined and smooth. Alternatively, you can do this in a microwave for 30 seconds. If desired, add white gel food colouring. Make it 10 minutes before pouring over the chilled cake so it has time to cool and thicken a bit.
Assembly
- Using a cake leveler or a long serrated knife level the tops of your cakes if needed.
- In the middle of your cake board or a serving plate put some buttercream to stop the cake from moving around.
- Place one cake layer on a cake board or a serving plate. Using a small offset palette knife or a piping bag, spread the frosting over the cake. Top it with the next cake layer and repeat the process.
- Place final layer on top, upside down, and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge before final decorating.
- Once cooled, frost and smooth the sides with the remaining buttercream, leaving a little for colouring and making a watercolor effect, as well as rosettes on top. Using a small offset spatula, dab the colours on a chilled smooth frosted cake and using a cake scraper, lightly scrape it leaving some behind - thus creating a watercolour effect.
- Chill the cake for a half an hour to an hour before putting the chocolate drip on top. It has to be cold so the drip doesn't go all the way down.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a 8B tip (or yours personal favourite), pipe some rosettes on top after the ganache has set.
Notes
- If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer.
- Not all ovens are the same. I suggest to check the cakes at 18 min mark and then adjust the baking time accordingly. Get to know your oven! 😉
- If you don't feel like making earl grey syrup, just leave it out and add an extra 30 g (2 tbsp) of granulated sugar.
- If you still don't own one, I advise you to buy a kitchen scale - they're cheap and easy to use, and always guarantee the same results in baking! 🙂
- Cake is best eaten at room temperature. You can keep it in a fridge, wrapped in cling film, but take it out of it at least half an hour before serving. 🙂
IMPORTANT
All the recipes are developed and tested using only metric measurements and a kitchen scale. The U.S. cup and spoon measurements are provided for your convenience, but I highly recommend getting a digital kitchen scale and measuring in metrics. It's easy and always guarantee the same results in baking!
Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
Donna Stone says
I didn't get a picture, but I made the cake for a Christmas cake last night and everybody LOVED it!! It turned out really moist.
Ana says
Hi Donna,
thank you for your feedback - that means a lot! I'm so happy the cake was such a success, it's one of the favourites in the family.
Hope you had wonderful holidays and I wish you all the best in NY!
Ana
Roses says
I think It is a good idea to make it and give it to my son for his upcoming birthday. Thanks you!
Ana Zelić says
That sounds do lovely! Hope your son likes it as much as we did! 🙂
Michael says
I think this will be a great gift for my wife on her upcoming birthday.
May says
Hello! This looks amazing!! I absolutely can't wait to try it.
Can I make this in a bundt pan (6 cups)? Thanks!
Ana Zelić says
Hi, May! I think the batter would work well baked in a bundt pan, but these measurements might be too much for a 6 cup bundt pan. I'd use maybe 2/3 of the measurements. You can move the serving slider to 8, or until you see the measurements convert to 2 eggs instead of 3. The rest will also automatically convert! 🙂
May says
Ooh alright will try that instead. So excited to bake it! Thank you ?
Gill says
How much of the prepared syrup do you use in the batter recipe? That was not stated.
Ana Zelić says
Hi, Gill!
I just checked the recipe for mistakes, but I mentioned it right after the sugar. You need 50g of earl grey syrup. You will have leftover syrup, I didn't want to make even smaller quantity because then I'd risk burning it, so this way was easier back then. I might retest it now having more experience. If you don't feel like making it, just use 30g of extra sugar!
Gill says
Oh sorry! I was looking in the wrong spot. My mistake! ?
Sue says
My food colouring wouldn’t mix with the buttercream, just kept separating. What did I do wrong?
Ana Zelić says
Hi, Sue!
Hm.. did you use concentrated gel food colouring or water based? The buttercream already has a substantial amount of water elements (pudding base, cream cheese, orange juice), so adding more could result in separating, instead of emulsifying. I've never had issued with using gel food colouring because you need a really small amount to get the colour you want. Since this is one of my first posts, I will update it with new information and images in the next month or so. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Ana
Brigitta Fionna Chaladika Bastian says
Hi! I wonder if I can substitute whole milk with low-fat milk?
Ana Zelić says
Hi, I think it should work fine, although the brands might differ and sometimes low fat milk tends to be more watery.
jojo says
can i substitute all purpose flour with almond flour?
Ana Zelić says
Hi Jojo!
Unfortunately, that would completely change the structure of the cake and it might collapse, due to insufficient supporting ingredients. I'll be testing some gluten free flours in the next couple of months, so I can always have a substitute to my gluten intolerant readers. xx
Oksana says
Hi Ana! I made this cake for my 21st birthday last week, and it was INCREDIBLE! This was my first cake fully from scratch that I've ever made, and it came out better than I could have hoped! I used two 9 in pans because that's what I had, so I had quite a bit of leftover icing. I didn't mind though, because it's probably the best icing I've ever made or had, and I didn't even know it was possible to make such a delicious icing that isn't over-the-top sweet. I didn't see in the instructions that I was meant to cook the earl grey syrup for about 20 min and I only cooked it for about 5, and I think this may have caused my cake to have a more understated earl grey flavor than I would have liked. I'll definitely be making it again, and I'll be sure to cook it for longer 🙂
We finished the cake in 2 days, and I used the rest of the delicious icing to make earl grey + orange sandwich cookies and also rosemary + orange sandwich cookies! All delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Jess says
Hi Ana! Do you think this would work as a pound/tea cake?
Ana Zelić says
Hi Jess!
Sorry for my late reply. Yes, I think this batter would work just fine as a pound cake, I think it's enough to fill a loaf pan. I would leave the temperature the same, but bake it longer, probably around 40-50 minutes.
Carlene Dowling says
We used the lovely, left over Earl Grey syrup to make an Earl Grey Almond Praline. It was so yummy!
Ana Zelić says
Ooh, that sounds incredible! How creative! 🙂
Tanya says
Hello! I don't have sour cream at home, is there anything I could use instead?
Ana Zelić says
Hi Tanya!
You can use greek yogurt!
If you don't have any, then buttermilk will do, but the batter will be slightly thinner!
Victor says
Hi Ana, I'm wondering if I can use an 8 inch cake tin instead of separating them into 3 separate tins. And I will cut them afterwards. Will this affect the time in the oven?
Ana Zelić says
Hi Victor!
I like to bake all my layers separately (although I'm aware that sometimes that's a stretch for the budget) because you get a more even bake and less chance for overbaking or having really dry edges. You can certainly try to bake it all at once in an 8 inch pan if it's at least 3-4 inch high to have room to rise, because this amount of batter is good for 2 (slightly thinner) 8 inch layers.
I believe because of the thickness of the batter, the time in the oven will be longer, but I'm not sure how much. It could certainly go up to 10 minutes more, but I can't speak from experience because I've never baked it all at once. This amount of batter is also enough for one 10inch layer.
Hope this helps!
And
Victor says
Thank you so much for advice. Thats helpful:)
Nat B says
I made this in 2019 for Mother's Day as an experiment because I was curious about the flavor and my mother always asks for "something different". Ever since then, this is all the dessert my family requests. Not just my immediate family but all of them: aunts, cousins, nieces.
This recipe is absolutely amazing. Earl Grey is such a robust flavor when in a tea but in this cake is a wonderfully light, complex flavor. I will continue to make this cake for the rest of my life. A fat slice paired with a glass of champagne is my idea of heaven.
Michelle Chai says
Hi thank you for the amazing recipe, and I am planning to make it for a special birthday occasion.
May I just check with you how does the dreamy colour of the buttercream come from? I realised you did not include any colouring in the recipe.
Ana Zelić says
Hi Michelle,
I just used some gel food colouring. I believe I mixed some purple and pink/magenta. 🙂 Hope you'll like the recipe!
Ana x
Ranjeeta Mathew says
Hi...The cake looks amazing..the flavours mentioned are totally new to me and look forward to try it soon..
If u dont mind can u guide me on how u achieved the color purple as rossettes on the cake...will Wilton violet give this color or did u mix any other shade to it.
As a whole the cake looks classy.Thank you for your detailed recipe.
Ana Zelić says
Hi Ranjeeta,
I'm so happy you like the cake and hope you'll like the flavours, too 🙂 I can't 100% remember what was the shade I use, but I used Sugarflair gel food colouring, which is very similar to Wilton, so you can try it with that for sure. It's possible I mixed a little bit of red/pink and purple, if purple is quite strong.
Good luck! x
Tash says
Hi there, I know this isn't a recent recipe but I'm looking forward to trying this. Can you confirm how much of the Earl Grey syrup should be added to the cake mix? In the instructions for making the syrup, it says that it won't all be used/added to the cake but I can't see reference to how much to add into the cake mix- maybe I'm blind!
Ana Zelić says
Hi, Tash! In the ingredients for the cake batter it's listed that you need 50 grams 🙂 It's an old post that I hope to update with new images and better instructions in the next couple of months.
Good luck! x
Cindy says
I tried this recipe and it was so good! I found my buttercream to be on the lighter side though - not sure what went wrong here but it was more on the whipped cream side. My earl grey syrup also hardens and became super sticky and not much if a syrup (did I cook it for too long?) Otherwise, after assembling and tasting, it turned out perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Ana Zelić says
Hi Cindy,
so glad you liked the cake! 🙂
This buttercream is pretty light and less sweet compared to some others. Can you tell me what exactly did you find light, the texture or the taste? Or both? Or did you mean that it was soft?
As for the earl grey syrup, hm, you probably cooked it too long or maybe your pan conducts more heat quicker. I'm planning on updating the recipe in the next couple of months, hopefully using less ingredients and with more helpful information. 🙂
Ana x
Maria Noellyn Castro says
Hi! I could not believe how delicious and moist the cake was. Thank you! The buttercream was also delicious however mine was a little lumpy which seemed to have been caused by the flour pudding. Any further tips when preparing it on the stove? Once it had cooled on the plate it had a gelatinous texture. Is that right? Did I I overcook it? I probably only cooked it in the stove top for 10 mins (not 15 mins) as I noticed it becoming gloopy. Stove was med-high heat as suggested and I stirred it the entire time while it was cooking. I'm an absolute novice with this being my time making an ermine buttercream.
Thank you so much in advance! Km looking forward to perfecting this cake!
Ana Zelić says
Hi Maria!
I'm so happy you liked the cake, it's one of my personal favourites! 🙂
I have a post dedicated to flour or ermine buttercream with step by step images that I hope will help you. If you still end up in doubt, let me know! Yes, gelatinous texture is right, I then give it a stir with a spoon to make it creamy, just like with pastry creams, puddings etc. But I might end up mentioning that in the instructions so no one else gets confused. If the pudding base is too thick, then the buttercream might end up lumpy. Hope this helps you! x
P.S. If you want to try another orange frosting, that is a bit easier to make, but lacks in stability so you won't be able to decorate it like this one, check out my Carrot Cake recipe.
Ana x
Jocelyn says
Hi, thanks for the recipe. If I may can this recipe be made into cupcakes? Thanks!
Ana Zelić says
Hi Jocelyn,
yes, this recipe should work as cupcakes too, but it will probably yield around 16 cupcakes, rather than 12 and you'll end up with leftover buttercream. Using the measurements for cake batter as is, I would move the serving slider to 8 instead of 12 to get the measurements for the frosting. That should be enough to frost 16-18 cupcakes 🙂
Hope this helps x
Betty He says
I accidentally added all of the earl gray syrup into the cake... would there be any way to balance out the flavors? sorry for the late comment 🙁 and my batter ended up very liquidy for some reason. Also, how much should the cake rise? I am looking forward to your response. 🙂
Ana Zelić says
Hi Betty,
I'm sorry to hear that things have gone wrong in the kitchen, but if it's any consolation--it happens to all of us and it's the best way to learn 🙂
Unfortunately, the excess of the earl grey syrup caused the batter to be too liquidy. Because of that, the structure of the cake is imbalanced, so your cake probably didn't rise, as it lacks the supporting ingredients, such as flour, to hold all that liquid.
This is an old recipe that will be revamped and made easier in the next couple of months. If you wish to repeat making the cake again, I would suggest not making the syrup, but using 250 g (1 1/4 cup) sugar and 180 g of earl grey infused milk + 30 g (2 tbsp) sour cream as liquid. Use the strongest earl grey you can find and let it steep longer for best flavor.
Hope this helps you and wish you a lovely day! x
Ashley says
Hello,
I'm a bit confused. The recipe was on the 1x setting so is that for one pan or still 3 x 6" pans? I made the 1x recipe but the batter seemed really little. If I divide it into 3, it only covers the bottom of each pan and maybe up 1 or 2 mm. Should I have made the 3x recipe which calls for 9 eggs?
Thanks!
Ana Zelić says
Hi Ashley,
sorry for the late reply! The 1x setting means using the recipe as-is and matches the written instructions. The 2x and 3x setting is for reader convenience to double or triple the recipe ingredients if necessary.
From your description, it seems like something went off with the measuring or you've used pans that are too big. When I fill my 6-inch wide and at least 2-inch tall cake pans, each gets around 350 g of batter and the pan gets approx. 3/4 full.
Tripling the ingredients is great for filling 3 10-inch wide cake pans.
jen says
Made this so numerous times and it's my favorite cake!
I'm planning to make these into cupcakes. Will the recipe still work if I remove 1 egg?
Connie says
Hi Ana,
Wondering if I could freeze the frosting since there is cream cheese in it? Thanks. Cake looks delicious.
Ana Zelić says
Hi Connie!
I haven't tried freezing it, but generally, custard-based creams and desserts don't freeze/thaw well. In this case, we have a milk pudding base and cream cheese, so I wouldn't suggest freezing it because it's highly probable that it will curdle once thawed.
However, on numerous occasions, I'd successfully frozen individual cake slices with ermine buttercream frosting.
I'm glad you like the recipe, even though the post needs an update--hopefully soon! x
Miyuki says
Such a beautiful cake! It looks magical.
I came to your blog through an interview in the Food Blogger Pro podcast. Your fotos are REALLY astonishing.
As a non-English speaker, I am also very impressed by how good you write in English!
I don’t bake, but it’s very satisfying looking at your pictures. So thank you so much for doing what you do!
Greetings from Germany (oh, and my husband is half Croatian, so I send you extra loving wishes).
Joanne says
I tried making this recipe twice now and it was AMAZING!!! You can really taste the earl grey tea and it wasn't too sweet either. I am planning on trying to make these into cupcakes instead, how would the baking time for the cakes be affected? Would it take a shorter amount of time since they're smaller?
Thanks!!
Quetzal says
Hi there, I am in the process of making this cake and just realized that I don't think you specified how much earl gray syrup to add into the cake mixture when creaming with the butter and sugar. I hope you see this in time! Eager to make this batter and enjoy delicious cake.
Quetzal says
I found it, phew. Thank heavens!
Nic says
This cake is absolutely DIVINE. The texture, the flavour. It’s not overpowering in sweetness, just absolute perfection. I’m not sure what we all did to deserve your free recipes Ana, but thank you from the bottom of my heart. They are such quality and the flavours are so special. Love love your work!
Ana Zelić says
Dear Nic,
thank you so much for taking the time to give me feedback. Your kind words made my day, and I'm so happy, I can't stop smiling!
So grateful to you! I wish you a beautiful day, much love <3
Ana xx