This Earl Grey Cake is perfect for the tea lover in your life! Earl Grey infused cake layers paired with a silky vanilla bean buttercream.
There is nothing quite like having to call the fire department while you’re in the middle of making a cake. And no, this was not due to another incident with the kitchen torch. It actually had nothing to do with my baking at all (hah!), but it certainly made for a more eventful Thursday than I had planned.
It all started with an odd smell in the kitchen. I went in there late morning to start making the buttercream for this Earl Grey Cake and smelled this weird mechanical/chemical kinda smell (not gas). I thought maybe it was the landscapers with their various electric tool things (lol, I have no idea what they are called), but the smell didn’t dissipate after they left, and actually got stronger.
In typical Olivia fashion, I started to freak out, half-finished cake still sitting on the counter. I have a pretty wild imagination so I started picturing faulty wiring in the walls, smoking and starting an electrical fire (for real). Our place is 30 years old (we’ve only been here for a year) and has had some work done to it. Some of the stuff here has been DIY’d, and I have no idea what’s inside the walls.
Anyhow, due to fears of an electrical fire (lol, sigh), I went and turned off all of the breakers leading to anything in the kitchen. Sure enough, the smell faded away. This confirmed my fears that it was something electrical. So, naturally, I went to Google to see what to do. As always, Google is so helpful. No matter what you look up, you’re either dying or you’re going to die. Everything was like: “Get out of the house!”,”You’re gonna die!”, “Call the fire department”. So I did.
I had to psych myself up to do it though. The thought of a fire truck outside my door, neighbors gawking and wondering wtf was going on, I just didn’t want to deal with it. But I also didn’t want out place to burn down, so… I literally had an internal pep talk before I dialled the number.
Anyhow, the fire department arrives. I could hear their sirens as I was pacing the floor, wondering if somehow they could be discreet (lol). They checked stuff out as much as they could, using their heat sensor things, but couldn’t find anything. I was hoping they’d be like — ok, turn on each of the breakers one by one and we’ll see. Unfortunately, they said they weren’t qualified to assess that and that I’d need to call an electrician, but to leave all the breakers off. SIGH. At least I was assured that nothing was currently on fire? I guess?
So off I go to Google again to find an electrician who can come TODAY. ASAP. I was cringing at the amount I would be charged for this emergency visit. I get off the phone with the guy, who says he’ll be here in a couple hours, and turn the breaker for the fridge back on because, HELLO, I have a cake in there.
As soon as I get back upstairs I smell it again. It’s easy to get behind our fridge, so I pull it out and start smelling the outlet. LOL I am SUCH a freak/loser/whatever. I thought for sure it was coming from there, but then I hear a zap from the back of the fridge. Aha! My nose leads me to the bottom of the back of the fridge, where there is this grate, and that’s where the smell is coming from. Thank god. I was so relived it wasn’t something in the walls!!
I cancelled the electrician (yay!).
I didn’t realize at that point that the fridge had actually DIED. I thought it was just on its last legs and that we should probably look at buying one on the weekend. After the whole ordeal (and finishing this cake), I went into the freezer to get a popsicle (it was super hot that day). The popsicle was basically mush. Oh *&^%. The fridge is DEAD. Ooookay, so off I went to the appliance store (alone, Ryan was at work and the shop closes at 5:30pm, seriously) to buy one that day.
Thankfully they had one they could deliver on Saturday, so it wouldn’t be too bad. We put what we could into our (already packed and very small) second fridge/freezer, but there was still a lot left in the fridge. It was keeping things cool-ish as it died, but by Saturday morning when we opened it up, the air that came out of there was warmer than the air outside. Gross.
So, a bit of an ordeal and some food loss, but it all worked out in the end. And we finally have a new fridge, which I’ve wanted since the day we moved in. Now, let’s talk about this Earl Grey Cake, shall we? Because it’s a winner.
I’d had an Earl Grey Cake on my radar for a while now, but it seemed like more of a “Fall” type cake (cozy sweaters, warm tea, etc.), so I waited until it was closer to Fall season. The days are getting shorter and cooler (I’m actually wearing a sweater as I type this – insert happy face).
Earl Grey is traditionally a black tea that is flavoured with bergamot (citrus). I say traditionally because you can now get rooibos and even green tea versions of Earl Grey. I prefer the traditional one, although mine has a bit of a twist too. My favourite is a Cream of Earl Grey which adds a hint of vanilla to the classic beverage. It really takes it to a whole ‘nother level of deliciousness. I used Cream of Earl Grey tea in the cake, but you can use any kind you like.
You don’t have to love tea to love this cake! Ryan is not a tea drinker at all, and he loved the unique flavour it has — though I will say that if you are not a fan of Earl Grey, it might not be up your alley. The Earl Grey tea is infused into the cake layers in many levels, so it is very prominent. I paired it with a simple vanilla bean buttercream to compliment the creamy Earl Grey flavours.
Tips for this Earl Grey Cake:
- If you don’t like Earl Grey tea, you can experiment with other tea flavours. I used Cream of Earl Grey for this cake.
- The Earl Grey syrup is optional (I forgot to add it even though I had it made), but it will enhance the flavour of the cake even more, and will add moisture.
- I used the tea leaves as garnish on the cake for the pictures, but do not recommend doing this as they are rather unpleasant to chew on!
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Earl Grey Cake With Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Ingredients
Earl Grey Milk:
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp Earl Grey tea heaping, loose leaf
Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Earl Grey tea finely ground
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup Earl Grey milk room temperature
Earl Grey Syrup (optional):
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tbsp Earl Grey tea
Vanilla Bean Buttercream:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Earl Grey Milk:
- Bring milk and tea to a boil in a small pot over med-high heat. Turn heat off and steep for 10mins. Strain and measure out 1 cup. Top up with milk if needed.
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, tea,and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and Earl Grey milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Bake for approx. 35mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack. Allow cakes to cool completely.
Earl Grey Syrup:
- Place sugar, water, and tea into a small pot. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 mins. Remove from heat, steep for 5 mins. Strain and cool completely.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot (160F) and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.** Add vanilla bean paste and mix until incorporated.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Brush with 2-3 Tbsp of the Earl Grey syrup.
- Top with approximately 2/3 cup of buttercream and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside with a thin crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
- Pipe rosettes on top of desired using a 1M tip.***
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Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
*** I used tea leaves as garnish on the cake for the pictures, but do not recommend doing this as they are rather unpleasant to chew on!
Angie says
This cake was absolutely DELICIOUS! Subbed out milk for almond milk and didn’t have time to make the syrup. The batter was incredibly runny so I was nervous, but it ended up being both moist and light. Honestly, one of the best cakes I’ve ever made!
I have a question here – it’s my friend’s birthday coming up and I’d like to make something special for him. He absolutely loved the earl grey cake because of the texture, but I want to change it up and make something new for him. Is there a recipe you recommend? He prefers lighter flavors (white cake) and cream cheese. I was thinking of using your white cake recipe with a lemon curd filling and cream cheese frosting. Do you think that would be a good combination? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Angie! Weird that the batter was so runny 😮 It should be on the thicker side — glad it worked out though and that you loved it 🙂 I think the combo you have sounds delicious! The curd and cream cheese are both tangy though, but I like the combo as the CC buttercream tends to have a lot of sugar in it.
Kathy says
Just tried this recipe and I love it! The tea flavor truly comes out and is a nice change from usual cake flavors. I ended up halving the recipe and made cupcakes instead (got 9 out of ½ this recipe; baked for 17 minutes). I reduced the butter and sugar by a few tablespoons and subbed AP flour for cake.
Kathy says
Whoops, meant that I subbed cake flour for AP flour
Olivia says
Hi Kathy! I’m so happy you liked it 🙂 Thanks for your cupcake tips!
Theo L says
I must be a dark wizard because I tried this recipe TWO times, following it exactly, and it turned out like a hefty brick both times. I’ve never had this happen in my life!
I checked all the ingredients were in date and fresh, I made sure the temperature was right for all of them, followed the steps exactly, didn’t over mix. No idea what I did! So weird. I trust it’s a good recipe since the comments all say it turned out alright! No idea what happened.
Olivia says
Hi Theo! Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. It should NOT be dense like that. How do you measure your flour? I recommend spooning and levelling into the cup rather than using the cup as a scoop. The latter can pack in a lot more flour. Were your eggs the correct size? Was the batter super thick going into the pans?
Kathy says
Try using cake flour maybe!
Rose says
Is it ok to use the stuff in the actual tea bags?
Olivia says
Hi Rose! Yes, you can use that.
Suk1988 says
Hi is it better to use caster sugar or granulated sugar (from the uk) and is all purpose flour the same as plain flour?
For the cups measurement is it LEVEL cups?
Olivia says
Hi there! Caster sugar is finer than granulated — you can use that but it might be a bit sweeter. I *think* AP is the same as plain but I’ve never used it myself. Yes to level cups but there is a metric converter at the bottom of the list of the ingredients too! 🙂
Li says
Hi! Just wondering if I want to make a 2x8inch cake, do I need to 1.5x the batter or will this current amount be suitable?
Olivia says
Hi Li! The cake recipe as-is will also work for two 8″ cake pans, so not changes needed.
Li says
Thank you! Will the layers be thinner or about the same?
Also just wondering is it OK to make the Earl grey milk like a day ahead and just keep it in the fridge until needed?
Olivia says
Hi L! The layers will be slightly thinner, but just barely. And yes you can make the milk a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. Just be sure to bring it to room temp before using in the cake 🙂
Hope says
I made this for a theme cake for my daughter’s 13th birthday. It was amazing. She was so thrilled that I used the chatacters favorite tea as the cake flavor. Thank you for this fantastic recipe. Even those who don’t care for tea, enjoyed the cake. I’m making it again for my birthday.
Olivia says
Hi Hope! Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, I’m so happy everyone loved it 🙂
AH says
hi! i doubled the recipe for 9 inch pans for two layers (i should’ve done three, i misread one of your comments). how long should i bake it for?
Olivia says
Hi AH! It depends on how thick the layers are — how full were the pans?
Billy says
I’m curious as to how long too since I will be doing this for two 9 inch pans. And how much will I need to increase the ingredients by to do it as I dont wanna waste anything.
Olivia says
Hi Bill! The recipe as-is would work fine for two 8″ pans, so it will be a bit thinner in the 9″. I would 1.5x the recipe (change the Servings to 18 to get the proper amounts). Let me know how it turns out!
Kelly says
This recipe looks devine!!
I am wanting to use this recipe for baby shower cupcakes. I am using the tulip cupcake holders. Do you think this recipe would work? If so what is your suggestion on how far to fill the cupcake holders? What temp and how long to bake? How many cupcakes will this recipe make? Will the icing be okay to travel in a car for 4hrs? Thank you in advance.
Olivia says
Hi Kelly! I think this recipe will work great! I haven’t used those cupcake liners myself, but I wouldn’t fill more than 2/3 full. Maybe do a couple test cupcakes — one at 1/2 full and the other at 2/3 and see which you like better? The temp should stay the same but start checking them at 15mins or so (depending on how much batter you use). The recipe will make 18-24 depending on size. For transport — I would chill or freeze them first so the buttercream is very firm and transport in a cooler or a car with A/C if possible. Let me know how they turn out!
Mitch says
I am making this cake today for a baby shower but I am a bit unsure about the double boiler part for the buttercream. I don’t have a double boiler but just putting the mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water should work right. Or no?
Olivia says
Hi Mitch! Yes, totally. Just put the bowl (ideally metal not glass) over a pot with 1-2″ of simmering water. I have a more detailed post about it here: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Jane K says
Would it make a difference if I used oat milk and whole wheat flour for this recipe?? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Jane! It would affect the flavour, but otherwise should be fine if you like those flavours!
Wes says
Would the measurements be the same if I used matcha?
Olivia says
Hi Wes! Yes, it should be the same.
Traci says
I made a version of this cake for our wedding last weekend — and it was amazing! I made 2 6″ stacked gluten-free early grey tea cakes with lemon curd and a Swiss Meringue Buttercream (from another LivForCake recipe), flavored with about 5 TBPS of Elderflower Cordial. It really was spectacular! I can’t wait to try some others – thanks Olivia, this is one of my favorite sites with spot on recipes!
Olivia says
Hi Traci! Thanks for the sweet comment and for your tips! I can’t wait to hear what you try next 🙂
Chris says
Hi there,
I cannot wait to try this, my Mums favourite thing is Blackcurrant tea, so I’m trying it with that. So excited to see how it turns out! Thank you for sharing!
Olivia says
Hi Chris! Love that, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Natasha says
This looks absolutely amazing! Can’t wait to try this out. However, I noticed a discrepancy in the number of egg whites used when I switched from the US customary units to the metric one. It says 3 in one but 4 in the other. How many should we be using?
Olivia says
Hi Natasha! Thanks for calling that out, I’m not sure why it was doing that! I ran the converter tool again and it should be fixed. I used 3 egg whites for the buttercream. 4 would also work though — it would just make more and the buttercream would be a bit whiter 🙂
Shahirah says
Hi dear just wondering if this cake freezes well. Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Shahirah! Yes. Properly wrapped the cake will freeze well for months.
Cheryl says
Great cake. I put my own spin and did a cream cheese frosting in umbre of purple. It was a big hit.
Olivia says
Hi Cheryl! Love the CC frosting and the purple ombre. I bet it looked beautiful!
Giulia says
Hello,
I don’t have a stand mixer and I don’t have a paddle attachment… is there any possible way I can make this cake without using it?
Olivia says
Hi Giulia! If you have a hand mixer you can make the cake no problem. The buttercream will be a challenge without a stand mixer though. I don’t recommend it as it will take a long time to make.
Claudia says
Hi Liv,
I was just wondering if I reduce the serving size of the cake from 12 to 6, do I still need 3 6″ baking pans and the same cooking time? Thanks so much!
Olivia says
Hi Claudia! No, if you reduce the serving size you should reduce the pan size too and possibly adjust the baking time. For ease, I would recommend doing 2/3rds of the recipe (set servings to 9) and using two 6″ pans. Baking time should be similar then.
Bonnie says
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose? Would any ingredient ratios need ti be changed if I did so?
Thanks, Bonnie
Olivia says
Hi Bonnie! Cake flour will work just fine. No changes needed to any ingredients, just swap the flour.
Laura says
Hi- My 2.5 year old son helped me make this yummy cake. It didn’t rise very well and I’m wondering if it’s because the baking powder is old or because it took us a loooong time to actually get all of the ingredients into the mixer…haha. I would definitely make this cake again. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Laura! Definitely test your baking powder, but also is it possible the cake batter was overmixed? That can cause for a denser cake. Also when measuring yoru flour, be sure to spoon and level it rather than scooping.
Helen says
Hi Olivia,
I was just wondering can I bake this 2 days in advance?
Olivia says
Hi Helen! Yes, no problem. You can keep it on the counter or refrigerate 🙂
Sabrina Berg says
Hi, I was wondering what depth the pan should be? I’m seeing either 6” by 2” or 6” by 3”. Would the 6 by 2 be deep enough?
Kind Regards,
Sabrina Berg
Olivia says
Hi Sabrina! Either works but I used 2″ deep ones for this particular recipe. The cakes should bake close to the top of them.
Giulia Beccarelli says
Thank you for this comment and this reply! I was wondering the exact same thing. If I use 6 x 3 pans, should I still use baking strips? How would the results change?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Giulia! I always use baking strips no matter the pan size.
Giulia Beccarelli says
Thank you! I’m finally making this tonight… a little intimidating, but I will try and see what happens 🙂 thanks for your patience and for your availability.
Olivia says
Anytime! Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Kimberly Chan says
Not sure if this is covered somewhere (I tried to scroll through the comments but didn’t see an answer to this, so I’m sorry if this is a repeat question), but just wondering if it’s possible to just empty the contents of earlgrey teabags for this recipe or if loose leaf tea is necessary? Thanks in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Kimberly! You could totally do that just fine 🙂
Jaime says
Hi! My dad loves earl grey so I’m planning to make this for his birthday that’s coming up soon. I have 2 9” cake pans and was wondering if I should double the recipe or just do 1.5. What should I do? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Jamie! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Christina says
I made this as cupcakes today and it was sooooo good!
I think I overbaked the cupcake a little bit, but the cake was still moist and delicious 🙂
I also reduced all sugar by half and it was still sweet!
I’m definitely going to make this again in the future.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Christina! So glad you liked it!
Angela B says
I made this for my friend who loves earl grey tea and she LOVED it!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Wondering if I’d be able to tweak the buttercream and make it lemon buttercream?
Olivia says
Hi Angela! So glad your friend liked it! And for sure — you can add some lemon zest and/or a bit of lemon juice to it.
Sarah says
I’m making this cake for a birthday. I’m making it a day in advance and putting it together at the venue. I was only going to put the earl grey syrup on one layer – should i do this in advance or when assembling? Does it need to be warm for the syrup to soak in?
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! I would do it when assembling. It does not need to be warm, but I would either trim the cakes or poke holes in them to make sure the syrup absorbs in.
Jared says
Hi! This cake looks fantastic! I was just wondering if I used a cake levelling strip to level my cake, will the sides of the cake become less interesting since it’s partially naked? Thanks again for the wonderful recipe.
Olivia says
Hi Jared! I always use baking strips — this cake was made with them. I hope you like it 🙂
Jared says
Hi again,
the cake tasted amazing and looked wonderful! Thank you so much. Just a question, what other frosting do you think I could use instead of the one you used in the recipe? I wasn’t too fond of this one, tho it was still amazing! Thanks again.
Olivia says
Hi Jared! What didn’t you like about the frosting? It’s a pretty neutral flavour, but you can try an American buttercream if you prefer or a cream cheese frosting. I think both would go well!
Kelly says
Omg, this cake is AMAZING. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, and it’s moist and very fragrant. Plus, I could eat just the bowl of frosting by myself lol. My dad doesn’t eat many sweets (I don’t even bother with a birthday cake anymore), but even he ate a hunk and said it was great!
Olivia says
Hi Kelly! So happy that you liked it, and your dad too!
Izzy says
This cake is absolutely delicious! Love the fragrance earl grey tea adds.
Olivia says
Thank you Izzy!
Jessica says
Hello!! Baking this cake as we speak!!! Curious if the butter for the buttercream has to be cubed if it’s at room temp? Generally I only cube butter if it’s really cold – just don’t want to use warm butter if it’s supposed to be cold!!! Thanks for your help!
Olivia says
Hi Jessica! It doesn’t need to be cubed as long as it’s already at room temp and you add it in about 1 Tbsp portions.
Angela Ferrin says
I am a novice baker and have probably made less than 10 homemade cakes (thus far) in my life. I am beginning to bake more and love a good London Fog so I thought an Earl Grey cake would be fun and found your recipe and blog. I read the directions over (and over and over 😂) to catch each detail since baking doesn’t come naturally to me yet. Your instructions were spot on and the cake turned out AMAZING! I made it for my supper club and it was a huge hit! I only have a hand mixer and it took quite a while to make the icing but it was worth it. Thank you for such well-written instructions, I plan to work my way through your recipes with my kiddos and am so excited! They love baking and baking shows and it will be so fun to learn together. Thank you again!
Olivia says
Hi Angela! Thanks so much for the great feedback. I’m so glad you found everything easy to follow and that it turned out well! I can’t wait to hear what you’ll make next!
Olivia says
Hi Olivia,
This cake is absolutely tasty! I made this for my birthday just over the weekend with two layers of 8 inch round. My first time making layered cake with frosting!! I was so thrilled when it all came together. My family just loved it into pieces. The cake was so moist and Earl grey’y’!! Thank you for sharing, I am so glad that I came across your blog! Definitely will try your other cake recipes too!
Olivia says
Hi Olivia! So happy to hear that you liked it and happy belated birthday!
Vishal says
Hey, I love the look of this recipe and am making it tomorrow for a school project! Quick question, I want to scale this bad boy up a bit to feed the hungry masses, do you think doubling this recipe would give me three 9 inch rounds? Even if they are thinner than normal I can reduce bake time to probably 10 minutes less… what’re your thoughts?
Olivia says
Hi Vishal! Sorry for the delayed reply, I hope it worked out ok! Doubling should have worked well for three 9″ rounds!
Jennifer says
Hi….this cake and all the reviews looks like one I really want to try. I did make your banana blueberry cake and had good comments about it. Thanks Liv!
That recipe used cake flour, I’m wondering if I could use cake flour as well for this recipe ?
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! You could totally use cake flour here instead. Let me know how you like it!
Madeline says
This is SUCH A GREAT RECIPE!! I made it for my sisters 22nd birthday this weekend and it was lovely. I added culinary grade lavender flowers to the milk, the batter, and the syrup and it was so aromatic and delicious. I probably used a half teaspoon of lavender at each phase. It turned out to be a great combination of flavors, and I plan to make this cake again. Thank you Olivia!
Olivia says
So happy to hear that Madeline!! I love the addition of lavender, I’ll have to try that!
Michelle Lee says
Hi Liv! I have two questions for you:
1) How do you get your tea ground so finely? I have been using a food processor but there are still sizeable chunks left.
2) What do you with the wet tea loose leaf after straining the milk tea? I hate the idea of throwing them out but I’m not sure what else I could use them for. Thought about using them for garnish but they are unpleasant to chew!
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Michelle! I use a coffee grinder, it creates the finest powder! I just discard the loose tea in my organics bin. I’m not sure you could really use them for anything 🙁
Vincent Murinigo says
Hello, I am so excited to make this recipe today!! Have you ever made cupcakes with this recipe?? What would the baking time be for the recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Vincent! I haven’t myself, but it should work just fine. You’ll just need to reduce the baking time. I suggest start checking them at 15mins 🙂
Lisa says
So excited to try this!! Thinking of doing a lavender honey buttercream with this, thoughts????
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! I think that would be amazing! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Mandy says
If I wanted to make a 3 layer 8 inch cake, should I double the recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Mandy! Yes, double the recipe. Your layers will be slightly thinner so you may need to reduce the baking time a bit.
Erica says
My cake didn’t come out so moist. What do you think I did wrong? I had froze it for 40 minutes, frosted it and then let it come to room temperature for 3 hours.
Olivia says
Hi Erica! Is it possible it was overbaked? Was it completely at room temperature when you ate it or still a bit cold?
Katelyn says
I just want to say, I was super impressed with this cake. I’m always looking for good cake recipes and usually have to change something about the recipe in order to get the cake to how I want it. Every part of this recipe was spot on. Perfection! Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Katelyn! Thanks for the great feedback, I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Katie says
I made this cake (with a fig jam buttercream) yesterday and the cake came out wonderfully. Delicately flavored but you can definitely taste the earl grey, moist, light… great recipe!
Olivia says
So glad you liked it Katie!
Lizzie says
Hi there!! I’m in the midst of trying this recipe, and after making the Earl Grey Syrup, I realized there aren’t any further instructions beside how to make that. When do you add it? To the cake? In addition to the milk? And do you swap out something else (like some of the sugar)? Thanks for your help!
Olivia says
Hi Lizzie! That step is listed as part of Assembly — you brush it onto the layers.
Talia says
Seriously… this cake is so delicious. Already made it twice and everyone goes crazy over it. You don’t have to be a tea lover to literally fall in love with this flavour! Thank you! I added my vanilla mascarpone cream/custard in between the layers and vanilla swiss buttercream to cover it! Amazing! Thank you
Olivia says
So happy that you liked it Talia! My husband is not a tea fan at all, but he also enjoyed it 🙂
Michelle says
Can I ask would you have a mascarpone cream/custard recipe? This cake looks amazing and I want to make it for my sister’s 40th but she isn’t a big fan of buttercream… Many thanks!!
Olivia says
Hi Michelle! I don’t have either of those, but I do have a mascarpone frosting here: https://livforcake.com/tiramisu-cake/
Michelle says
Thank you!! Thank you for the videos as well!!
Grace says
Hi Olivia! Thanks so much for this gorgeous recipe. I’m planning on trying it out this weekend! I was just wondering if you had a preference for a type of milk to use? I was going to try whole, but I didn’t know if that would be best.
Thanks again!
Olivia says
Hi Grace! Honestly, I use 1% because that’s just what we happen to have. Whole milk would be ideal though, but anything btwn that and 1% will work 🙂
Koko says
This cake was lovely! Made it for a baby shower and everyone loved it! Total hit. Thank you!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Koko! So glad you liked it 🙂
Holly says
I want to make this so bad! I was wondering if adding a hint of orange to the frosting would be good as the tea already has orange in it. Plus we have an orange tree in the yard that is producing a lot of oranges right now. Do you know if I could incorporate orange juice/zest in the frosting without messing it up?
Olivia says
Hi Holly! I think that would be totally fine and perfectly delicious. I would use zest first — add it in after you finish adding the butter and give it a taste. If it needs more you can add some juice (1 Tbsp max) or more zest (as much as you like). Let me know how it turns out!
Mai ngoc hoa says
Dear Olivia,
I’m planning to make this cake for a dinner at friend’s house. What can I do if I can’t find any Earl Grey tea finely ground but only Earl Grey tea leaf (or like the Lipton/twinnings tea bag)?
Thank you very much for your attention
Olivia says
Hi Mai! Do you have a spice grinder? Or something you could grin the tea leaves up with?
Mai ngoc Hoa says
Hi again, I made the cake finally and it tasted awesome. Would like to send you photos too if you don’t mind. I will definitely redo this cake over soon
Olivia says
Hi Mai! I would love to see your pictures! Send them to livforcakeblog[at]gmail[dot]com.
Sharon says
Hi Olivia! I’m planning on making this cake this weekend for a friends birthday. What would you suggest as decorations/topping/garnish instead if not the earl grey tea leaves?
P.S. I’ve been following your recipes for a while now and absolutely love them. My goal one day is to make all of yours :)…5 down, lots to go!
Olivia says
Hi Sharon! Can I just say how flattered I am that you’re working your way through my recipes?! Amazing. Thank you! I hope you like them all :).
For garnish, if you could find some edible flowers, that would be super pretty, though those might be hard to come by, especially this time of year. You could use sprigs of thyme, that always looks pretty too, and just remove them before serving (easier to remove than the tea leaves, hah). If you wanted to get a bit fancy, you could do a white chocolate ganache drip and color it lavender, or something like that (the ratios for that are different than a dark choco ganache, so let me know if oyu want to go that route and I’ll give you the proportions).
Sharon says
Thanks for your suggestions! Ooo a colored white chocolate ganache sounds cool – yes would love the proportions/recipe if you have a good one for that! Last time I tried making a ganache drip the chocolate seized up on me…so much struggle 😭
Olivia says
Chocolate can be tricky to work with sometimes. How did you make the ganache? Try the the one from this recipe from this post: https://livforcake.com/eggnog-cake/
If the ganache is too thick, add in a tsp of heavy cream until it gets to a thin enough consistency. Let me know how it turns out!
Sharon says
Ahhh also I had one more question – sorry I’m asking so late, hopefully you see it before tomorrow (when I’m baking this). I found another recipe for an earl grey buttercream as well (https://www.abeautifulplate.com/london-fog-cake-earl-grey-buttercream/) – do you think that would go well with the cake? Or do you think the cake itself has enough earl grey flavor and adding this buttercream would be overpowering?
Thanks again!!
Olivia says
Hi Sharon! The cake has a fairly strong earl grey flavour (to me), which is why I chose to pair it with a simple vanilla buttercream. I think it could work with an earl grey buttercream too, but the flavour would definitely be strong. If you like that though, then I would give it a try! (and let me know, haha)
Sharon says
Finished! It turned out great :). Using earl grey buttercream definitely helped intensify the flavor and luckily people didn’t think it was overpowering. Would definitely recommend! I ended up doing a simple swirl topping, did not brave the ganache haha. I can send pictures if you want!
Olivia says
Haha! Glad it worked out! Definitely email over some pics as I’d love to see! livforcakeblog (at) gmail (dot) com
Erin says
Hi! This cake looks amazing! Would I be able to use a vanilla bean or extract opposed to vanilla bean paste?
Olivia says
Hi Erin! Sure thing, those would work just fine.
Sofie says
Hi What size cake pan is the recipe for? 6″?
Olivia says
Hi Sofie! Yes, 6″ pans.
Sofie says
thank you! If I double for an 8″, will it be too much?
Olivia says
You can use the recipe as is for two 8″ or 1.5x the recipe for three 8″ pans. I hope that helps!
Stephanie says
Would this cake recipe be ok to use for cupcakes instead of a full cake? What would you suggest for temperature and cooking time?
Olivia says
Hi Stephanie! You can totally use it for cupcakes. Bake at the same temperature, but check them after 15mins or so as they may be done by then.
Emily says
Hi Olivia,
Do you think this earl grey cake will pair well with a honey cream cheese frosting? Or will it taste funny? I do not like to use powder sugar for my cakes, and I’ve been repeatedly using honey, cream cheese, and unsalted butter as my frosting. Since this is an earl grey tea cake flavor, I’m afraid the flavor will not pair well. What do you think?
Thank you,
Emily
Olivia says
Hi Emily! I actually think it would go really well. Especially with the honey. Honey is often an addition to Earl Grey tea! At least over here 🙂 I’m not 100% sure on the cream cheese, but I think it would be fine. I haven’t had a cake yet that didn’t work with a cream cheese frosting 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!
Emily Huang says
Hi Olivia,
The cream cheese frosting unfortunately didn’t work well with this cake, covered up all the earl grey taste. However, my cake came out really dense, I was wondering if it was anything I did wrong, because your cake look so fluffy.
Olivia says
Hi Emily! Sorry to hear you the cream cheese didn’t work out. Regarding the dense cake — did it rise ok? If not, perhaps your baking powder is expired. Another culprit could be overmixing the batter! Only mix the flour until just incorporated at each stage.
Clare says
Hello!
How do you get such a clean edge and even colour on the sides of your cake?
Looks delicious!
Olivia says
Hi Clare! I use a combination of a plastic icing smoother (http://amzn.to/2wSXEvf) on the sides and a small offset spatula (http://amzn.to/2xt6mB4) on the top. I hope that helps! Or wait, did you mean the actual cake layers themselves? I use evenbake cake strips (http://amzn.to/2wWkAZP) on all my cake pans. You can get more info on that here: https://livforcake.com/flat-top-cakes/
I hope that helps!
Justine says
What a beautiful cake and stunning flavour combination, Olivia! Also, I’m glad you got your appliance situation sorted out. 😜
Olivia says
Haha thanks so much Justine! <3
Pia says
I tried the cake and I absolutely love it! It was very moist and had a great flavor. Thank you very much for the great recipe!!!!
Olivia says
Hi Pia! I’m so happy that you liked this cake! Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Stephanie says
Do you think I can add earl grey oil to enhance the flavor?
Olivia says
Hi Stephanie! I’ve never used earl grey oil, but I can’t see it being a problem. Be careful with the strength of it though, if it’s concentrated. This cake is already packed with Earl Grey flavour!
Olivia says
Wow! This looks great! You are so good at decorating cakes! 🙂
Olivia says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Hakima says
Your story is my life! I am probably the most dramatic person (according to my husband) and I would have called the cops in a heartbeat, and yeah, my mind races so fast, I’ve already thought of about a dozen scenarios of my death from some minuscule happening.
But I’m so glad it was just the fridge and yay for getting new appliances!
I’ve seen a variation of earl grey cake all over the place and I tell myself I want to try it, but I actually don’t like earl grey. LOVE tea, but am not a fan of earl grey. I wonder if it will have a different taste, or maybe a more subtle taste? Hmm. Might experiment anyway since my husband loves earl grey.
Meg | Meg is Well says
I’m so glad it was just the fridge and not something super complicated! And I’m excited about this Earl Grey Cake! I basically dream of turning every dessert into a London Fog (aka Earl Grey Tea Latte), so basically you made my dreams come true!
Olivia says
Haha yesss! I have more tea flavoured desserts in mind. LOVE a London Fog <3