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 flavored 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 favorite 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 flavor 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 flavors.
Tips for this Earl Grey Cake:
- If you don’t like Earl Grey tea, you can experiment with other tea flavors. 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 flavor 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 extract
- 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.***
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!
Sam says
This cake looks amazing and I plan to make it for my friends birthday next weekend. I wanted to ask if I can bake the cake in advance and freeze them, before icing them the night before the birthday party?
Thanks in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Sam! Yes for sure. Here are my tips on baking in advance:
For the Cake: Cool the layers, double wrap in plastic wrap, freeze for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
For the Buttercream: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 week for freeze for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
Emily says
This is probably the best cake I’ve ever made. The cakes were the perfect density so I didn’t use the syrup. I think the syrup would have over done the flavour and sweetness. My cake wasn’t as tall as yours but still a decent size. This was also only my second time making Swiss meringue buttercream and your guide worked a treat. Thanks for the great recipe 😊
Olivia says
Hi Emily! Yay! So happy you loved the cake and that the SMBC worked out well for you 🙂
Jahnavi Harris says
Have you had any feedback about any of your readers substituting the egg in your cake recipes for alternatives like apple sauce, flax eggs, etc?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Jahnavi! I haven’t done this myself but you can read through the comments to see if anyone else has.
Rose says
Hi,
I’m planning to make this as cupcakes for a work baby shower. Do you have an idea about how long it would take to bake? It’s hard to bring in cakes for cutting these days so I figured individual servings would be cleaner.
Olivia says
Hi Rose! Start checking them at 15mins or so 🙂
Kit Broughton says
I made this cake and it was a hit with the whole house. This is one of the best cakes I’ve had in a long time!
Olivia says
Hi Kit! Thanks for the awesome feedback. I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
Kistaka says
This cake was amazing! I added a little extra tea and a dash of cardamom to the cake batter and cut the sugar to about 1 cup. The cake was absolutely delicious! Definitely had the rich earl grey flavor I was hoping for!
Olivia says
Hi Kistaka! So happy you loved it 🙂
ashley says
Love love LOVE! this cake, absolutely amazing. However, may i ask what should the serving size / measurements be for a 7 inch cake pan?? Am making a 7 inch 3 layered cake <3 much appreciated if would could assist me in the measurements. 😀
Olivia says
Hi Ashley! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
Based on that, for three 7″ pans, you’d want to increase the recipe by 1/3 or so.
ashher says
Made this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute HIT! making one for my friend again. However, is it possible to substitute AP flour with Cake flour? I found my cake to be a little too dense and hard. Secondly, what should my serving size be if i were to use a 2 7′ inch cake pan? much appreciated if you could reply me i love this cake so so much <3
Olivia says
Hi Ashher! So glad you loved it. You can definitely use cake flour instead. My cakes tend to be more on the dense side rather than light and fluffy, but it shouldn’t be too dense. Overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added — it develops too much gluten.
Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
How tall are your 7″ cake pans? If they are 3″ tall you could just leave the recipe as is and increase the baking time. If they are 2″ tall then you can make cupcakes with extra batter. Otherwise, based on the charts you’d want to 3/4 the recipe.
Samantha Hodges says
Tried this cake with two 8″ pans. I think the recipe needs to be increased if using that size as the cake turned out super thin in each layer
Olivia says
Hi Samantha! The cake layers should be about 1.5-2″ tall in two 8″ pans. If they are thinner than that then it could be due to expired baking powder or overmixing the cake batter.
Mary says
Hi Liv!
I’m a huge fan of all your recipes so please keep up the amazing work!!
I recently made this cake but it was a bit dense. Any idea why that is?
Would I be able to substitute the AP for cake flour/would that make a difference?
Thank you! Xo
Olivia says
Hi Mary! Thank you so much! My cakes tend to be more on the dense side rather than light and fluffy, but it shouldn’t be too dense. Overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added — it develops too much gluten. Too much flour can also be a culprit. If you dip your scoop into your flour sometimes you get more than you need. It’s best to spoon the flour into your measuring up and level it off. That being said, you can totally use cake flour instead! 🙂
Amber says
Hi! I just tried your recipe today and it turned out great! My family thought the cake was quite dense, however the taste was wonderful and it went really well with the buttercream. I’ve reduced the sugar by 1/3 and it turned out just right. Thanks for this!
Olivia says
Hi Amber! So happy you loved it 🙂 My cakes tend to be more on the dense side rather than light and fluffy, but it shouldn’t be too dense. Overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added — it develops too much gluten.
Ezra says
I just made a slightly adapted version of this (mostly replaced earl grey with lavender because my body doesnt like caffeine) and i have to say that this cake is amazing! Light and fluffy, not overly sweet, and it carries more subtle flavors really really well.
The only thing that didnt quite work according to recipe was the meringue for the buttercream – it took forever to get to 160°F, which meant a lot of hand whipping while it was heating up, but that might just be my shitty stove. The result was worth a sore arm though, i got a really nice, silky-smooth buttercream. I’ll definitely use this as a base recipe for different cake flavors in the future!
Olivia says
Hi Ezra! I am so happy you loved the cake! Strange that it took so long to reach 160F. I’d try using a larger pot (as long as the bowl still doesn’t touch the water) or turning it up a bit so it’s simmering more vigorously. What you’re looking for in that step is to dissolve the sugar and once it’s dissolved you just need to get the mixture to 160F. I hope that helps!
Sarah says
Hi there! I am wanting to make this recipe this weekend. Just a couple questions about the Earl Grey Syrup. When do you add it to the recipe? How much of it do you use? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! It’s in the first step of the Assembly, you brush it onto the cake layers 🙂
Pooja Bachani says
Hi there! I am new to your site and I have fallen in love with this cake. I want to make this with gluten free AP flour, do you think it will work? I am also planning to bake it in mini cake pans- im creating a British tea party celebration for Christmas for someone who needs a bit of pepping up 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Pooja! I think as long as it’s a proper AP flour blend it should be fine! I know Cup 4 Cup comes highly recommended. For mini cake pans, be sure to reduce the baking time. Let me know how they turn out!
tiffany says
hello, I’m planning on making this for my gr ma’s birthday soon and im planning on testing this recipe out next week, I’m wondering if you could give me the measurement for a regular sized birthday cake for around 8 people? thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Tiffany! A typical cake is two 8″ cake rounds but that will make more than for 8 people. You can use this recipe as-is for two 8″ rounds. Otherwise you can change the Servings to 8 and use those amounts.
Alysha Uong says
Hi Olivia, I loved this recipe. I was wondering if it was possible to make the batter in advance the night before.
Olivia says
Hi Alysha! No, the batter should be baked right away. You can bake the cake layers the night before though and just wrap them in plastic wrap. Leave at room temp or refrigerate.
Nancy says
When putting the batter in the pan, is it going on top of the parchment paper? It says to flour and grease then put the parchment. Do I need to butter and flour the parchment as well?
Olivia says
Hi Nancy! Yes, on top of the parchment. You can butter and flour the parchment if you like but it’s not necessary. It will just make removing the parchment from the cakes easier, but I never find it to stick that much.
Adelaide says
If i just want to use one cake tin (one layer) what should i set the serving size to
Olivia says
HI Adelaide! For one 6″ cake round set the Servings to 4.
Cindy says
Hi! When cooling the cakes, do I remove the tins after turning them out onto a wire rack or keep them in the tins?
Olivia says
Hi Cindy! Yes, remove the tins!
Dawn Stubing says
This cake was everything I hoped it would be! The cake is tender, moist and has has such a lovely, delicate flavor. The buttercream imperfect, not overly sweet but with enough richness to complement the cake and let you know you are eating something special. Thank you so much! So many cakes! and…so much time!
Olivia says
Hi Dawn! I’m so happy you loved it. Thanks for the feedback!