Earl Grey Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing
This Earl Grey cake is infused with beautiful tea flavor and iced with a simple citrus cream cheese icing. Simply put, it’s a winner.
I love this cake, not only because it’s delicious, but because it has the lightest, most tender crumb. The Earl Grey flavor is perfectly present, but not overpowering, and the touch of orange citrus in the cream cheese icing is a delightful pairing.
What Makes This Cake Special?
I’ve recipe tested this cake at least four or five times, and shared it numerous times with my testing group—it has been unanimously enjoyed, and is actually my sister’s favorite.
The main standout of this cake is the homemade Earl Grey milk. When I first began recipe testing, I started by simply steeping Earl Grey in hot water, mixing it with half and half, and adding it to the cake, between the dry ingredient additions. I quickly found this didn’t yield close to enough Earl Grey flavor. I needed to create my own Earl Grey milk. I did this by first warming half and half until nice and steamy, steeping the tea until cool, and then transferring the cooled half and half— with the tea bag still steeping—into the fridge to infuse flavor overnight.
After playing with the recipe a bit more, I ultimately decided to use the Earl Grey milk, in unison, with a fresh hot steeped Earl Grey. A lot of chocolate cake use hot water in tandem with dairy—including my chocolate cake—so I decided to give this process a try. I was absolutely thrilled with the results!! The combination of the Earl Grey milk with hot tea does three things to benefit the cake: (1) it ensures enough Earl Grey flavor, (2) it adds a hint of natural color to the cake, and (3) it provides SUCH a special cake crumb.
This delicious treat is finished off with a cream cheese icing that has fresh orange zest and extract, taking this flavor pairing to the next level.
Cake Making Success
In my blog post here, I provide an in length discussion about my five best cake making tips. Below is a few bullet points, highlighting important details that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Be sure to follow the recipe directions, and mix the batter according to the times directed. More air in the batter=a lighter cake. It’s as simple as that.
Add eggs one at a time. By adding eggs to the batter one at a time, the mixture is allowed keep an airy texture, without the batter splitting. This process is a bit of a dance, balancing between not overworking the batter, but allowing it to mix enough, before adding the next egg.
Use room temperature ingredients. Bringing dairy to room temperature allows the batter to mix evenly, creating little pockets of air, as it emulsifies. Aka a light and fluffy texture!!
For a more detailed discussion, I highly recommend reading the blog post, via the link provided above.
All Purpose vs. Cake Flour
I’m frequently asked, “why use both cake and all-purpose flour in your recipes?” It’s true, in most of my cake recipes, I use a combination of two flours. I landed on this technique after a lot, and I mean a lot of cake testing. When testing with just cake flour, it wasn’t right, often yielding a cake crumb that was too light, and the texture didn’t allow for that tender, yet substantial bite we all crave when eating a decadent slice of cake. Similarly, using just all-purpose flour wasn’t a perfect fit, often yielding a heavy crumb that was reminiscent of a bread or a muffin. Using both flours creates a cake that is light, tender, moist, but with enough bite that it feels satisfying, aka the perfect slice of cake.
I’ve been asked, “is cake flour hard to find?” No, I purchase my cake flour from Nob Hill or Safeway in the baking isle next to the flour—it often comes in a small box. Since my cake recipes usually split the two flours, a small box lasts for many bakes. It is truly my advice, that if you enjoy my recipes, use both flours as recommended. It does make a difference, and in case you’re wondering, most bakeries use cake flour for their cakes! I will be honest, that although my recipes are relatively easy and attainable, my goal isn’t simplicity, it’s to provide recipes as good as a bakery.
Final Tip
Rather than buy Earl Grey milk (if you can even find it), I highly recommend making it at home, as directed. It really makes this cake special.
Lastly, be careful when adding the orange extract. Remember, extracts provide powerful flavor, so I recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon at a time, and tasting as you go. Some like a stronger orange flavor, while others are more reserved.
Earl Grey Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 1 Earl Grey tea bag
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup steeped, hot, Earl Grey Tea
- 2/3 cup homemade Earl Grey milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- orange zest to taste
- 1/2-1 teaspoon orange extract to taste
Instructions
- Using a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half until hot and steamy, but not boiling.
- Once hot, remove saucepan from the burner and placing tea bag into the half and half. Let the tea cool as it steeps.
- Once cooled, transfer milk, with the tea bag included, into a mason jar, and close it with a lid. Place in fridge and store overnight.
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour two 9" cake pans. To guarantee the cake won't stick, line the bottom of the greased cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Set aside.
- Using a small sauce pan, heat 1 cup of water, until boiling. Remove saucepan from heat, and steep one bag of Earl Grey tea and set aside. Loosely cover the top of the sauce pan with tin foil to keep the tea warm.
- In a mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium to medium-high speed for 4 minutes. Drizzle the oil into the bowl on medium-low speed. Once incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium speed for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, briefly mixing batter on medium until smooth, scraping the bowl after each egg addition. Add in the vanilla and mix briefly.
- In a separate bowl, using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flours, baking soda, and salt. Spoon and level the flours for an accurate measurement.
- Add 2/3 cup Earl Grey milk and 2/3 cup hot tea, into a glass measuring cup, and whisk until smooth.
- Alternating between the dry ingredients and the Earl Grey mixture, add 1/3 of flour into the mixing bowl on low speed. Immediately follow with 1/2 of the tea mixture, followed by another 1/3 of the flour and the second 1/2 of the tea mixture. Finish with the remaining flour mixture. The mixer should be kept on low speed, so the flour and liquid don't splash out of the bowl. Scrape the bowl, making sure any dry ingredients trapped at the bottom are brought to the top. After scraping, turn the mixer up to medium speed for just a few seconds ensuring the batter is fully mixed and smooth.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans. Start assessing your cakes at 20 minutes, but they could take up to 25 minutes or longer to bake, depending on your oven's temperature. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool pans for 10 minutes, before running a knife around the edge of the pan, and turning out the cake. Place cake on wire rack to finish cooling. Once cake is cooled, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This step is optional, but makes icing the cake easier.
- With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until there are no lumps and the consistency is smooth.
- Add sifted powdered sugar to the bowl, 1 cup at a time, mixing first on low speed to prevent splashing, then turning the mixer to medium until it's incorporated. Repeat process with remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar.
- Add orange zest and orange extract, and mix on medium speed for a few more seconds. Give the mixing bowl a good scrape and briefly mix one more time to complete the icing.
- Place one layer of cake on a clean turn table or cake board with a small dollop of icing underneath. This works as a glue, helping prevent the cake layers from sliding around while icing. Place a large dollop of icing on top of the first cake layer, and spread evenly with a small offset spatula or knife. Place the second cake layer on top of icing. Place another large dollop of icing onto the cake, smoothing the top evenly, and letting excess icing drop to the side of the cake.
- With the rest of the icing, using an offset spatula, put a even layer of icing around the entire cake, with a back and forth motion.
- Using a bench scraper (also known as cake smoother) with your dominant hand, hold it steady against the cake, but slightly angled toward the cake, to aid in smoothing, and slowly move the turn table with the other hand, while not moving the scraper, and keeping it as straight and steady as possible. As excess icing builds on the scraper, place it back into the mixing bowl, and continue smoothing the cake with a clean scraper. This cake is intended to be semi-naked, so as you scrape the excess icing off the cake, bits of the cake underneath will be exposed. See blog pictures for reference.
- While smoothing the sides, a lip of icing will form around the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, gently sweep away the lip with a motion toward the center of the cake. Rotate the cake, and sweep until the lip has been removed, and top of the cake is smooth. Any leftover icing can be used to decorate the cake with a beaded boarder, or another decoration of choice. Store cake in the refrigerator until 2 hours before serving.
You May Like These…
