Earl Grey Tea Cake Recipe

This beautiful Earl Grey cake makes a wonderful Easter recipe that the whole family will love - try it this week and you'll be the talk of the house!

HOW TO MAKE EARL GREY TEA CAKE

Ingredients

• 1½ tbsp good-quality loose-leaf Earl Grey tea
• 200g plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 120g butter
• 330g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 120ml buttermilk
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract edible flowers, to decorate

For the Earl Grey icing:

• 100g icing sugar
• Grated zest of ½ lemon about 1 tbsp strong, cold
• Earl Grey tea

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin then dust the insides with flour.
2. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the tea leaves to a fine powder.
3. Sift the ground tea, flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and set aside
4. Beat the butter and sugar using a wooden spoon or electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the final egg to help prevent curdling
5. Fold in one-third of the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
6. Add half the buttermilk and mix well. Repeat with half the remaining flour, then add the remaining buttermilk and the vanilla extract
7. Mix well before adding the last of the flour and combining thoroughly.
8. Pour the mixture into the tin and spread out evenly. Bake the cake for 40–50 minutes, until golden brown and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Once the cake is cool, make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest. Add the cold tea a little at a time, stirring thoroughly until the desired consistency is achieved.
10. Drizzle the icing liberally and evenly over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Leave the icing to set, then decorate with edible flowers to serve.