Earl Grey Cake
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.
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.
- 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.
- Whisk together the tea milk, sour cream, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix it into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
*Measure your dry ingredients properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour, as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
Storage: When not serving, it's best to keep the cake in the fridge so it stays moist. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days!
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.
