it was my birthday a few weeks ago, and my boyfriend wanted to bake me a cake. the latest rage in baking is earl grey and i’m a fan. seems my boyfriend took note – he surprised me with this earl grey cake complete with frosting! he was so nervous the day of since i’m what he considers a “master baker”, but he did awesome! everyone who shared the cake with us was really impressed, and it’s a recipe that we will add to our book for sure. he used this recipe, but tweaked a few things to suit!
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EARL GREY CAKE
one 8-inch cake or double recipe and use three
9-inch cake pans for a bolder looking, layered cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- ½ of a vanilla bean
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons of good quality loose leaf earl grey tea (whole leaf)
- 1 tablespoon of good quality loose leaf earl grey tea (ground)
method:
1. preheat oven to 345F. lightly grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
2. in a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
3. beat butter, sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon ground tea leaves until light and fluffy. the scent of the tea leaves will emerge.
4. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
5. in a small saucepan, heat milk and 3 tablespoons of whole tea leaves until just boiled, remove from heat and let steep for a few minutes until the milk changes colour. strain out the tea leaves and set the “tea milk” aside.
6. add the combined flour mixture into the wet mixture, and finally pour in the “tea milk”. mix just until blended.
7. immediately pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. (bake time may vary depending on your oven, watch closely near the end and check for doneness with a toothpick)
EARL GREY BUTTERCREAM
double recipe if you plan on doubling cake recipe
1 ½ cups icing sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 ½ tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of ground earl grey tea
1. combine all ingredients in your mixer and whip until the scent of the tea emerges.
2. on a cake platter, ice layers of cake first, followed by the top and sides.
p.s: thank you for making me this special birthday cake, babes! it was so thoughtful, and i’ll always remember it… and hold you up to the same standard for next year…
