I’m not interested in immortality but only in tea flavor.

– Lu Tung, Tang dynasty poet.

Given the popularity of my macarons with Earl Grey tea buttercream, I’m not alone in my love of the tea. No surprise there, because it’s delicious. (For you food history fans, you can read all about Earl Grey and his popular tea here.) What is surprising is how long it took me to think up this combo, which pairs Earl Grey tea and lemon curd, another favorite of mine, in a beautiful cake. That bit of tang – ooh, it’s just heaven.

Tips and Substitutions

• Because not everyone has cake flour laying around, I’m giving the recipe with all-purpose flour. But it’s worth noting that cake flour definitely lightens up this cake, which is otherwise a bit on the dense side. (But still delicious!) If substituting cake flour for AP, add 1/4 cup flour, so 2 1/2 cups total cake flour instead of 2 1/4 cups AP.

• You’ll get a stronger infusion of the milk by using loose tea instead of teabags. I used an Earl Grey loose tea blend that had a bit of lavender in it, which was a lovely complement. Cream of Earl Grey is good, too, but you might consider reducing the vanilla extract by half a teaspoon because of the vanilla already in that blend.
• Don’t skip the syrup step! You want a moist cake.
• Once cooled to room temperature, wrapping and freezing your cake layers makes them easier to level and frost. Just let them thaw for about 20 minutes before leveling.
• Store-bought lemon curd is just fine for the filling and buttercream, or you can whip up a homemade batch.
• I have a whole post on Swiss meringue buttercream if you’re feeling you might need some extra tips.

The Steps

• Infuse the milk.
• Whisk dry ingredients together.
• Cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest.
• Add lemon juice and eggs, one at a time.
• Alternate adding dry ingredients and infused milk to creamed butter/sugar mixture.
• Divide into prepared tins and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
• Make simple Earl Grey tea syrup. Let cool.
• Make lemon curd buttercream.
• Level cakes and brush with tea simple syrup.
• Assemble cake: Place first layer on a plate or cake stand and pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge. Fill the center with lemon curd. Stack the next layer and repeat. Stack the final layer.
• Frost with a thin layer of buttercream as a crumb coat and chill for 30 minutes.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake.

Reality Bakes

I used Meyer lemons for my last batch of lemon curd and it was a gorgeous pale yellow, but said yellow didn’t translate into to a nice bright color in the buttercream, hence a drop too much yellow gel, hence my daffodil-colored cake. Makes me ready for spring!

Print Pin

Earl Grey Tea Cake with Lemon Curd Buttercream

A lovely three-tiered cake marrying the flavors of aromatic Earl Grey tea and bright lemon curd.

Prep Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp Earl Grey tea, leaf, or 4 Earl Grey tea bags
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Earl Grey tea leaves, ground fine
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 large eggs, room temperature

For the Earl Grey Tea Simple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp Earl Grey tea, leaf

For the Lemon Curd Filling and Buttercream:

• 1 cup lemon curd, divided*
• 6 large egg whites
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Cake:

• In a small saucepan, heat milk to just under boiling. Remove from heat and add loose tea or Earl Grey tea bags. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain milk if using loose tea, or discard tea bags if using those. Add vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 6-inch cake pans and line with parchment.
• In medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and ground tea. Set aside.
• Rub lemon zest into the sugar. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add lemon juice and mix to combine.
• Add eggs one at a time on low speed, fully incorporating each one and scraping down the bowl before you add the next.
• Add the dry ingredients in thirds (three additions), alternating with the tea-infused milk (two additions). Start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix at low speed just until everything is combined.
• Let batter rest for ten minutes.
• Fill the three prepared 6-inch cake pans no more than 2/3 way. Level the tops with an offset spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning out on a rack to cool completely.

Simple Syrup:

• In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a low boil. Add tea and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain syrup and allow to cool completely.

Lemon Curd Buttercream:

• Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk until combined.
• Set mixer bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of gently simmering water, making sure bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Heat, whisking constantly, until sugar is fully dissolved, or a thermometer registers 160°F. (Rub the mixture between two fingers to test for grittiness.)
• Dry off bottom of the bowl and place back on the stand mixer. Whisk on high speed until the meringue is glossy and can hold stiff peaks, and the bowl is cooled, usually about 5 to 10 minutes, but could be longer.
• Switch from the whisk to the paddle attachment.
• Slowly add the cubed butter piece by piece, beating well on medium speed after each addition. When all the butter has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and raise the speed to medium-high. Beat until the buttercream is thick and fluffy.
• When buttercream is fluffy and smooth, add the salt, vanilla, and 1/2 cup lemon curd, and beat on medium-high until incorporated and buttercream is smooth.
• Buttercream can be made ahead of time and frozen. To use, bring back to room temperature, then beat until smooth again.

Assembly:

• Prepare a piping bag with a round tip.
• Place one cake layer on a stand or serving plate. Brush all over with the Earl Grey tea syrup.
• Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the top layer. Fill with lemon curd.
• Place second layer on top and repeat with the syrup, buttercream and lemon curd.
• When final layer is on top, lightly frost the outside of the entire cake with the buttercream to make a thin crumb coat. Chill for 30 minutes then frost and decorate as desired with rosettes, flowers, fruit, etc.

Notes

*If using cake flour instead of AP, up it by 1/4 cup to 2 1/2 cups total flour.

*This lemon curd recipe is divine if you want to try homemade.

Course Dessert

Cuisine None

Keyword Earl grey tea, lemon curd, scratch cake