Earl Grey Cake
This earl grey cake is filled with sweet and tart blueberry compote and covered in a silky smooth vanilla buttercream. With hints of lavender, bergamot orange, and black tea, this cake is light, airy, and perfect for any occasion!
Equipment
- (3) 6-inch cake pans
Ingredients
Batter Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup loose leaf earl grey tea
- ¾ cup whole milk
Simple Syrup Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon earl grey tea
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Blueberry Compote Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen wild blueberries
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 2 tsp water
Buttercream Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter soft
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Making the Batter
- Heat the milk and tea leaves in a small pot over medium-low for 5 minutes then pour into a bowl to cool. Remove the tea leaves before using!
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and corn starch. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/177 C and prepare three 6-inch cake pans with a round of parchment on the bottom.
- In a stand mixing bowl, cream the oil, butter, and sugar together on low for about 4 minutes until very light, white, and fluffy.
- Slowly stream the eggs and vanilla into the mixing bowl, mixing well until fully incorporated.
- Add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix on low to combine.
- Stream in ½ of the tea steeped milk, mixing until fully combined.
- Add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients, mixing well on low to combine. Continue adding the next ½ of the milk and then the rest of the dry ingredients as before. Scrape the bowl down and mix one last time.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cake pans. Use an offset or spatula to smooth the tops evenly. Bake together on the middle rack for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched. Allow the pans to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the edges and flip the layers out of the pans to continue cooling.
Make the Simple Syrup
- Combine the water and tea leaves in a pot and heat over medium for 2-3 minutes or until the color is a nice golden brown. Strain out the leaves and add the sugar, stirring until dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Make the Compote
- Add the blueberries, corn starch, sugar, and water to a small pot over medium heat, stirring until thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Make the Buttercream
- In a stand mixing bowl, combine the soft butter and powdered sugar with the paddle for 1-2 minutes on low. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 2-3 minutes until it's very light, white, and fluffy. Add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix on low, then mix again on medium-high until fluffy.
Assembly
- Place a small dollop of buttercream on the cardboard round and place the first layer on top. Brush lightly with the simple syrup, then add about ⅓-1/2 cup of buttercream in the center. Use an offset spatula to push the buttercream to the edges to form a border.
- In the center of the cake, add half of the compote, pushing it to the border of frosting, then place the second layer of cake on top.
- Continue with this process, placing the last layer bottom side up on top so that the cake has a super flat top. Use the rest of the buttercream to frost the whole cake so that you can still see some of the cake through. Finish the top with fresh blueberries if desired!
Notes
Step-by-step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.
expert tips!
- Always spoon measure flour: If you don't have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
- Sift the dry ingredients: Sifting the dries will keep the cake light and airy and prevent any clumps of flour from being in the batter.
- Don't grease the pans: I learned this trick in pastry school, which is to NOT grease your cake pans! A simple liner on the bottom of the pan is all you need. This will allow the cake to bake with perfectly flat tops and will prevent the layers from doming.
- Freeze the cake: Once assembled, freeze the whole cake before cutting. This will solidify everything together before cutting.
- Use a hot, sharp knife to cut: For clean cuts and to prevent the blueberry from bleeding into the cake layers, run a sharp knife under super hot water before every slice, wiping it with a paper towel before the next.