Have you ever tried a cake infused with Earl Grey tea and raspberry? It might just be your next favorite dessert! This butter cake is infused with tea and the touch of sweet raspberry is perfectly paired with a light and delicate vanilla-specked buttercream. Unlike heavy chocolate desserts or super sweet caramel cakes, this cake's flavors are bold yet light.
I steeped the Earl Grey in milk in this cake and even added some finely ground tea to flavor the vanilla cake. More tea made a concentrated Earl Grey simple syrup for moistening the cake and flavoring the buttercream. To balance out the robust black tea, I added simple raspberry preserves for a pop of tartness in every bite. And since the cake isn’t overly sweet, add extra buttercream in delicate ruffles or rosettes. Don’t forget to serve it with fresh raspberries for a complete dessert experience!
1 cup of milk
1 1/2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey Tea
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon finely ground Earl Grey Tea
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1: Are you ready to bake up a storm? Preheat the oven to an optimal 350 degrees. Then, prep three 6-inch cake pans with butter and flour. Now that you're prepped and ready to go, let's get baking!
2: Let's make some creamy tea! Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and let it warm up over medium heat. Once it bubbles gently, it's time to add 1 1/2 tablespoons of tea. Lower the heat and let it brew for around 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and continue to steep for an additional 5-10 minutes, then strain. Set infused milk aside.
3: Meanwhile, gently whisk the eggs and yolk together. Set aside.
4: Now, grab your electric mixer and attach the paddle. In the mixer bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and ground tea. Give them a good mix on low. Now, it's time to add the butter, vanilla, and infused milk. Keep the mixer on low and mix until everything is moistened. Crank up the mixer to medium-high and give it a good blend for about a minute. Finally, don't forget to stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
5: Turn the mixer to medium, and get ready to add in the egg mixture. But hold up–we're going to add it in two parts, mixing for about 20 seconds between each addition. Don't forget to stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. And whatever you do, don't over-mix–we want this batter to be perfect.
6: Here's the deal: you'll want to divide that batter evenly amongst three cake pans. Pop 'em in the oven and give them about 22-24 minutes to bake up just right. How do you know they're done? Stick a toothpick in the center of each cake - If it comes out clean, they're good to go! Once they're all baked up, set them to cool for about 10-15 minutes on a wire rack before you take 'em out of their pans.
For the Earl Grey Syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey Tea
Let's brew up a delicious tea syrup! Grab a medium saucepan and combine water and sugar until it comes to a boil. Turn down the heat, and add in your tea. Let this heavenly mixture simmer for 10 minutes and then take it off the heat to steep. Once it's cool enough to handle, strain out the tea leaves and get rid of them. Voilà–you've got a tasty tea syrup!
For the Frosting:
3 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
3 tablespoons Earl Grey Syrup–or to taste
To make the perfect meringue, grab your electric mixer and a bowl. Add egg whites and sugar, then whisk them together. Next, heat some water in a saucepan and place the bowl on top to create a double boiler. Keep whisking until the egg mixture hits around 155 degrees or feels hot to the touch. Once heated, transfer the bowl back to the mixer and beat on high until it returns to room temp, which should take around 10 minutes. Finally, you'll know it's ready when you have medium-stiff, glossy peaks.
Alright, let's take a quick pause and swap out the whisk for the paddle attachment in the mixer. Keep the mixer running on medium-low and add some butter and vanilla bean. Let it mix on medium-high until it's super smooth and silky. Finally, add in the syrup and mix until it's all blended together. Your delicious mixture is ready to use!
Assembly:
After brushing the cake layers with any remaining syrup, generously apply raspberry preserves between them. Top it off with buttercream frosting and for an extra touch, sprinkle some fresh raspberries on top. It'll be a treat you won't forget!