Earl Grey Cake is a moist, rich dessert that combines light delicate tea flavors and subtle hints of citrus with a velvety tender cake. Layered with raspberry jam and then frosted with tea-flavored buttercream, this tea cake is both impressive and irresistible.

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Delicious Layer Cakes
No matter the occasion, a delicious layer cake can take the celebration to the next level. With their towering tiers and countless possibilities for flavors and decorations, layer cakes make the perfect centerpieces for special occasions, holidays, birthdays, and casual get-togethers.
Layer cakes come in all sizes and flavors, from two layers to three or more, and can highlight seasonal flavors in both the cake and the frosting. Chocolate lovers always fall in love with this Chocolate Strawberry Cake, while those that tend to more tropical flavors love to dive into this Key Lime Cake, and if you're a true fruit lover, this Strawberry Lemon Cake is not to be missed.
Why You'll Love This Earl Grey Tea Cake
If you’re a tea lover you will love this moist, tender, and delicately flavored cake
Rich, tea-infused buttercream highlights the cake’s flavor beautifully
Sweet raspberry jam is the perfect foil to this subtly sweetened cake
If you enjoy a Starbucks London Fog Latte, this London Fog cake is quite similar in flavor. Boasting plenty of Earl Grey flavor combined with milk and sweetened with sugar in lieu of honey, it's like a London Fog latte in cake form.
Ingredients
For the Earl Grey tea milk:
- Earl Grey tea bags
- Milk
Cake ingredients:
- Yellow cake mix - Duncan Hines recommended
- Tea milk (see above)
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Earl Grey tea - for an added flavor boost
For the Earl Grey frosting:
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Earl Grey milk
Filling and garnish:
- Raspberry jam
- Fresh raspberries
What is Earl Grey Tea?
Earl Grey tea is a type of flavored tea that's recognized for its distinctive citrus flavor and aroma. It's typically made from black tea leaves that have been infused with oil from the bergamot orange, a fruit mostly grown in Italy and known for its strong citrus flavor.
It is named after Charles Grey, the British Prime Minister in the 1830s. Earl Grey tea is now enjoyed worldwide. It's traditionally enjoyed hot and sometimes with milk or lemon, but can also be used in various tea blends, iced tea recipes, and even in cooking or baking for a distinctive citrus twist.
Earl Grey tea is often praised for its potential health benefits, including boosting heart health and providing antioxidants.
How to Make Earl Grey Cake
How to make Earl Grey milk tea:
- Place milk and 2 tea bags into a small saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat and remove from burner just before it boils.
- Let it steep in the pan 5-10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let cool.
Steps to make the cake:
- Place yellow cake mix, eggs, oil, earl grey tea milk, and earl grey tea into a large mixing bowl.
- Beat until well mixed.
- Divide the batter into 3 greased 6" cake pans.
- Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes then invert onto wire racks and let the layers cool completely.
To make Earl Grey buttercream:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and tea milk.
- Beat until light and creamy. If the frosting seems too thick to spread add a bit more tea milk, if too thin, add more powdered sugar.
How to assemble and garnish the cake:
- Place the first layer upside down on a serving plate. Pipe frosting around edge of layer to help hold jam in place. Add ⅓ of the raspberry jam. Repeat with remaining layers.
- Once the top layer is settled, frost the sides and top with buttercream. If you want it more elaborate, pipe stars on the top with the buttercream frosting and add raspberries for color.
Recipe Variations
- Earl Grey Blueberry Cake - Use blueberry preserves instead of raspberry preserves.
- Frosting - Use cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream. Remember to make it with tea milk.
- Earl Grey Lavender Cake - Add 1½ tablespoons of culinary lavender to the tea when making the tea milk. Use it for making the cake and frosting so you'll have Earl Grey cake lavender frosting.
- Earl Grey Lemon Cake - Add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the cake batter. Add ¼ teaspoon of lemon extract and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the frosting. Use lemon curd for the filling instead of raspberry preserves.
- Earl Grey Orange Cake - Earl Grey has an orange accent because of the bergamot. Add a tablespoon of orange zest to the cake batter and a teaspoon to the frosting for extra orange flavor.
- Tea - Use other tea flavors or blends instead of earl grey. Chai, Jasmine, Matcha, or Rooibos are great choices. Also, use decaf tea instead of regular for a caffeine-free cake.
Different Cake Shapes and Sizes
Don't want to fuss with making layers and frosting them?
Earl Grey Bundt Cake - Use a 10-inch bundt pan. Bake the cake for about 1 hour. If you want it to have a raspberry filling inside, pour half of the batter into the pan, add raspberry preserves on top, and pour in the remaining batter. Prepare the frosting with enough earl grey milk to make it a little thinner (but not too much) and pour the frosting over the cake. You want it to be thick enough to pour but not so thin that it will run off the cake.
Earl Grey Loaf Cake - Use 3 8x4-inch loaf pans or mini loaf pans. If using mini loaf pans, fill ¾ full and bake for 18 to 22 minutes. For a regular-size loaf cake with raspberry filling, you'll need to put a layer of raspberry preserves between the batter in the pans. For mini loaf cakes with raspberry filling, hollow out the top of the loaf and fill it with raspberry preserves. Then spread the frosting on top.
Earl Grey Cupcakes - Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill the cups ¾ full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Hollow out the top of the cupcakes and fill the hole with raspberry preservers. Frost the cupcakes.
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center and it's done when it comes out clean.
How to Store and Freeze
Storing: Place the cake in a cake storage container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing Unfrosted Cake: Wrap the layers tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place the frosting in a freezer-safe container. Freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight. Assemble the cake as directed.
Freezing Frosted Cake: Place the cake in the freezer until the frosting is frozen. Wrap the cake in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. You can do the same with slices. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.
More Cake Recipes
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Earl Grey Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the tea milk
- 2 earl grey teabags
- 1 ¼ cups milk
For the cake:
- 1 package yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
- 1 cup tea milk in place of water
- 4 eggs this is one more than called for on the package
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil called for on the package
- 1 teaspoon finely ground earl grey tea which is ⅓ tea bag and should be fine enough to use as-is
For the frosting:
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons tea milk until desired consistency is reached
Filling and Garnish
- 1-2 cups raspberry jam
- fresh raspberries (optional)
Instructions
Earl Grey Tea Milk
- In a microwave-safe mug, heat milk until just hot. Add 2 earl grey tea bags and allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and set the milk aside to cool.
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 6-inch cake pans. (if you don’t have 6” just do a 2-layer with 2 regular 8-inch cake pans)
- Mix the yellow cake according to directions, substituting 1 cup of earl grey milk for the water. Add an extra egg (so that would be 4 eggs) and ⅓ cup vegetable oil. Stir in 1 teaspoon finely ground earl grey leaves for more flavor.
- Divide the batter evenly among prepared cake pans and bake for 35 minutes or until cakes begin to brown on the edges and spring back when gently pressed in the center.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to cool completely on wire cooling racks.
To make the frosting
- Beat powdered sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.
- Slowly add the earl grey milk until the desired consistency is reached.
To assemble the cake
- Layer the cake with raspberry jam in between layers then frost the top and outside of cake. Swirl the frosting on top and decorate with fresh raspberries.
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