Turn your favorite cup of tea into this stunning Earl Grey cake! Infused with Earl Grey tea, this two-layer cake has a fruity blueberry filling and is covered in a creamy vanilla bean frosting.
Working as a pastry chef, I’m always looking to create cakes with unique flavors- this recipe was inspired by my favorite cup of tea! It’s is packed with tea flavor.
The cake layers are soaked with tea-infused simple syrup and then filled with a homemade blueberry filling. It stays so moist and flavorful for days that everyone will think it came straight from a bakery!
Table of Contents
Tips for the Best Earl Grey Flavor
Infuse the milk. For the best flavor, steep the tea bags in warm milk! You’ll notice the milk change into a milk chocolate color when it’s ready.
Use tea bags instead of loose leaves. Tea bags are easier to find and steep without needing to strain the tea leaves out later.
Use more or less for more flavor. If you prefer a super strong Earl Grey flavor, feel free to add a few extra tea bags. For a less strong flavor, use 2-3 bags.
Brush with Earl Grey simple syrup. This is a trick I used in bakeries to pack more flavor into cakes! The simple syrup consists of tea-infused water and sugar that’s boiled together. After it’s cool, you brush it on each cake layer. The syrup not only gives it a stronger tea flavor but also keeps the cake moist for days!
Experiment with different Earl Grey varieties. There are many different varieties you can experiment with, such as Lady Grey, Red Earl Grey, or French Earl Grey.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Earl Grey tea: I’ve used a few different brands of tea and found there isn’t one right tea brand to use- whatever you have in your pantry or in the store is perfect! You’ll need at least 7 bags of tea.
Butter: For the best flavor in the vanilla bean buttercream, I recommend using a full-fat butter like Kerrygold or Plugra. Trust me, it makes a huge difference and gives your cake a bakery-style flavor!
Cake flour: This flour cannot be substituted, or the cake will not turn out! We’re using the reverse creaming method, which relies on low-gluten flour like cake flour for the best texture.
Blueberries: Wild Maine blueberries are my favorite because of their intense flavor and small size. Alternatively, fresh blueberries can be substituted; add at least 1/2 cup more to the filling.
Sour cream: A key ingredient needed for a super moist cake. Substitute it with full-fat plain Greek yogurt if needed.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Infuse the milk. In a small pot, infuse the tea into the milk. You’ll know it’s ready when the milk turns into a chocolate milk color. Once it’s cool, make sure to squeeze out any excess milk from the bags before tossing them. (Image 1 below)
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients in a stand mixer, then mix in the butter on low speed. Room-temperature butter ensures the flour is coated in the fat, preventing excessive gluten formation for a moist, tender cake! (Image 2 below)
Step 3: Mix in the wet ingredients. Gently mix the whisked wet ingredients and tea-steeped milk into the bowl until just combined. The batter should be a tannish brown color with no pockets of dry flour. (Image 3 below)
Step 4: Bake the cake layers. Pour the cake batter into the cake pans. Tap the pans on your counter to remove air bubbles, then bake! After baking, cool the pans on a wire rack. (Image 4 above)
Step 5: Make the Earl Grey simple syrup. Combine the water, sugar, and tea bags. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has darkened from the tea. Set aside. (Image 5 below)
Step 6: Make the blueberry filling. Cook the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice until the berries have released their juices and are boiling. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, then set the filling aside to cool before using. (Image 6 below)
Step 7: Make the vanilla bean frosting. Beat the butter and powdered sugar together, then mix in the heavy cream and vanilla bean paste or extract. Continue beating until the frosting is super white, light, and fluffy. (Image 7 above)
Step 8: Soak the cake layers. Trim a thin layer off the top of each cake layer and brush it with the tea simple syrup. You shouldn’t use more than one tablespoon of the syrup. Otherwise, the cake will be soggy. You will have some leftovers! (Image 8 above)
Step 9: Fill the cake. Place the first layer on your serving platter. Pipe a border of buttercream around the edge of the cake- this will seal in the filling and keep it from spilling out the sides. Then, fill the center with half of the filling. (Image 9 above)
Step 10: Decorate the cake. Cover the sides and top of the cake with the rest of the frosting. If the cake layers are moving, you can chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Spoon the rest of the filling on top of the cake and garnish with fresh berries. (Image 10 above)
Professional Cake Tips
Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is my #1 baking tip! If you don’t have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
Cool the cake before frosting. If the cake layers are too warm, they will melt the buttercream!
Serve at room temperature: For the best flavor and texture, serve the Earl Grey cake at room temperature. Remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving!
Storage, Freezing, and Make Ahead
Storage: When not serving, it’s best to keep the cake in the fridge so it stays moist (about 4-5 days). You can press a piece of parchment paper or baking paper to the exposed cake crumb to keep it from drying out if you don’t have a container to store it in.
Freezing: Store the cake or individually wrapped slices in an airtight container for up to one month. Let it defrost in the fridge or at room temperature before serving!
Make ahead: Wrap the baked cake layers in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to one month. You can make the blueberry filling and simple syrup up to one week in advance and store them in the fridge until ready to use!
FAQs
It’s not required but definitely recommended. The simple syrup will keep the cake moist and give it even more tea flavor!
Feel free to fill the center with more buttercream. Note that you will need to use 1.5x or 2x the buttercream recipe, though!
Earl Grey is a black tea that has notes of bergamot orange, and citrus like lemon and grapefruit!
I have not tested this recipe in a larger-sized pan. You will need to at least double the recipe to have enough batter!
More Fruity Cake Recipes
Earl Grey Cake
Equipment
- two 6 inch cake pans
Ingredients
Earl Grey Cake Batter
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 5 Earl Grey tea bags, strings removed
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Earl Grey Simple Syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/8 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Earl Grey tea bags, strings removed
Blueberry Filling
- 1 1/2 cups frozen Wild Maine blueberries
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Fresh blueberries, for decorating
Instructions
- Steep the tea bags in milk over medium-low heat until the milk turns brown, about 6-8 minutes. Once cool, remove the tea bags, squeezing out any excess milk. You should have 1/2 cup (115g) of milk. Adjust with more regular milk if needed.3/4 cup (172 g) whole milk, 5 Earl Grey tea bags
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/177 C. Grease the sides of two 6-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then mix in the butter on low speed until it resembles coarse sand, 3 minutes.1 1/2 cups (175 g) cake flour, 3/4 cups (150 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter
- Whisk together the tea milk, sour cream, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix it into the dry ingredients until just combined.1/2 cup (113 g) sour cream, 1/3 cup (65 g) vegetable oil, 1 (50 g) large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cake pans (370 grams in each). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched. Allow the pans to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pans and let them finish cooling on the rack.
- Meanwhile, make the simple syrup. Cook the water, sugar, and tea bags over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is tea-colored. Set aside. Remove the tea bags once cool.1/4 cup (56 g) water, 1/8 cup (30 g) granulated sugar, 2 Earl Grey tea bags
- Cook the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat until bubbling, about 10-15 minutes. Mix the cornstarch and water, stir into berries, and cook for 1 more minute until thickened. Cool before using.1 1/2 cups (140 g) frozen Wild Maine blueberries, 3 tablespoons (45 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons water, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- For the frosting, cream the butter and powdered sugar until combined. Then mix in the cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is super light, white in color, and fluffy.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- To assemble: Trim the top of the cake layers and brush with 1 tablespoon of syrup. On the bottom layer, pipe a border of frosting around the edge, fill the center with half of the blueberry filling, and place the second cake layer upside down on top. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Spoon the remaining blueberry filling on top and garnish with fresh berries.Fresh blueberries
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
I had a couple issues that lead me to a super dense cake 🙁 I doubled the recipe and was using metric system so I could use my scale. I was a bit confused on how much milk to use — the original instructions (not doubled) says: After steeping tea – You should have 1/2 cup (115g) of milk. Adjust with more regular milk if needed — it didn’t automatically adjust that amount in grams when I toggled for a doubled recipe but I did the math and thought I had it correct but I guess I should’ve just had 1 cup of milk? but I think I had way too much.
Also this was my first time using cake flour – I didn’t know there was a difference between bleached and unbleached and I didn’t happen to click the link to the recommended flour but I used unbleached it seems that’s what made my cake super dense + excess milk. I made this a couple days ahead luckily so going to to try to remake this and hope it turns out right
Hi Gianna! I’m so sorry the cake didn’t turn out as expected, but it sounds like you’re on the right track with troubleshooting. Scaling recipes—especially in metric—can definitely get a little tricky, and too much milk could absolutely contribute to a denser texture. Just to clarify, I always use unbleached cake flour for this recipe, and it’s naturally a bit denser than a traditional creamed cake due to the reverse creaming method, which creates a tighter, more velvety crumb. I hope the second round brings you success!
Hi! I’m doubling this recipe and I’m a little confused on the milk measurement — I used 344g of whole milk and after steeping the tea bags I’m left with 290g of whole milk, but the recipe says I’d be left with 1/2 cup or 115g. How much should I use? I’m prepping ahead but I’ll be baking this tomorrow evening so hope to hear back soon 🙂
Hi Gianna, when doubling the recipe, you should be using 230 grams of steeped milk, as that is double the 115 grams for the single recipe. Sorry for the late response!
Hello! Would it be possible to make in 4inch pans? If so, how long do you think they would bake for?
Hi Katie! It’s possible, but I would potentially cut the recipe in half because it will be too much batter in the pans. I would start checking them around 18-20 minutes!
Made this yesterday and it came out perfect! Wondering if I could sub out the earl grey for matcha powder in the milk to make a matcha cake?
Yay! That’s such a great idea, I’m sure it would work just fine. Please let me know how it turns out if you make it matcha style!!
This looks amazing and I’m planning to make this next week for my birthday but I can’t seem to find how much lemon juice to add?
Hi Hanna! The lemon juice measurement is underneath the blueberry filling!