Celebrate any occasion with this Earl Grey Cake with vanilla bean buttercream and filled with zesty lemon curd! The light Earl Grey flavor infused in the cake pairs beautifully with a delicate frosting.

Dish Count :: 1 Mixer, 1 Mixing Bowl, 1 6-inch Cake Pan Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream with tulips in the background

The secret is, I used to teach cake decorating. It was how I saved up money to pay for my own wedding, and it gave me great joy – along with a lot of added stress, when I would run home to walk the dog after a long day, just to pack up my car, mixer and everything else to teach evening lessons at my local crafts store. I took pride in it. And finding new flavor pairings continues to be one of my favorite things. This Earl Grey Cake with vanilla bean buttercream is a dream combination for those who love delicate flavors.

Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream with a slice removed, on a white cake plate

How to Add Tea to Cake

I love tea, and not just in a cup. Infusing your cakes with tea, like with this Earl Grey cake with vanilla bean buttercream, is a really simple way to add a new and delicate flavor to your baked goods. There are two easy ways to do it.

One is to add dried herbs directly to the batter itself as you mix the batter together. The downside is that your cake, or whatever your baked good of choice, is that it will have leaves in it. In cookies or other things it wouldn’t be a dealbreaker! But in a cake, my preference is steeping tea before hand!

I chose to heat up the milk and liquid required for this cake, and steep the tea ahead of time in that before making the final batter. That infused the Earl Grey flavor without needing tea leaves in my batter. Be sure to fully cool the liquid prior to making the batter, so that hot tea doesn’t curdle the eggs.

Ingredients for Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

For Earl Grey Cake:

  • All Purpose Flour
  • Cake Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Milk
  • Earl Grey Tea Bags
  • Vanilla
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Sugar
  • Eggs

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

  • Unsalted Butter
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Vanilla Extra
  • Vanilla Bean
  • Salt

Filling

  • Lemon Curd 

Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream on a white cake plate from a side view

I chose to use a simple airy whipped vanilla bean buttercream recipe for this cake, as it is also an equally delicate flavor that pairs well with the herby floral flavor of Earl Grey tea. Lemon is a common addition to tea, and a light lemon flavor in your buttercream would also be delightful in this Earl Grey cake.

Inspired Homemade Recipes To Try

Earl Grey Ice Cream

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Buttercream

Pear Almond Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream

Pear Chocolate Cream Cheese Danishes

Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream - homemadehome.comI’ve known Christina for nearly four years now – having met through our blogs, bonded over our mutual love of wheat, and the men (and women) who grow it, study it and thrive on it – herself included! – and of course our love of whiskey, and carbs. I couldn’t think of a more fitting baked tribute to a woman bringing in a new chapter to her life story.

Christina, we are so excited to see the new chapters unfold and welcome your new bundle of joy into this world. Congratulations again and again!

We hope this was a bit of a surprise – because 19 bloggers who live their lives on the internet managing to keep a secret is a feat in itself! Go us!

 

Gather all of these other creations to help us celebrate in style!

Fizzy Grapefruit Margaritas from Well Plated

Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream from
Country Cleaver

Mini Bourbon and Bacon Tater Tot Casseroles from
Climbing Grier Mountain

Maple-Chia
Overnight Oatmeal from Feed Me Phoebe

Lemon Cake for Two from Keep It Sweet Desserts

Mini Raspberry Pavlovas from The Baker Chick

Almond Berry Cake Parfaits for Two from Edible
Perspective

Peanut Butter Bourbon Blondies from The Frosted Vegan

Mixed Berry Mascarpone Scones from Bluebonnet Baker

Healthy Funfetti Cupcakes from The Housewife in Training Files

Steak Fajita Tacos for Two from The Sweetphi Blog

Mango Madeleines from Stetted

Citrus Salad with Mint, Honey, and Lime from Rachel
Cooks

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse with Coconut Whipped
Cream from Joyful Healthy Eats

French Breakfast Puffs from Stephie Cooks

Blueberry Vanilla Cream Hand Pies from Eats Well With
Others

Banana Pudding Cheesecake from The Domestic Rebel

Print
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Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream - homemadehome.com

Earl Grey Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Megan Keno
  • Prep Time: 30 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: British
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale

For Earl Grey Cake:

  • 1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup Cake Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 cup Milk, heated to steaming
  • 2 Earl Grey Tea Bags
  • 2 tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 2 Eggs

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

  • 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extra
  • 1/2 Vanilla Bean, scraped of seeds
  • Pinch of Salt

Filling

  • 1/2 cup Lemon Curd (jarred, can be found in jam aisle)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a six inch cake pan, and line with parchment paper. In mixing bowl, slowly together flour and cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a cup steep the heated milk with the earl grey tea bags to infuse the flavors. When steeped, discard the tea bags.  To the steeped milk, add in the vanilla extract.
  • In the bowl of the stand mixer, beat to combine the sugar and butter. Beat until light and fluffy, about one minute. If the butter is cool, this will take longer. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well.
  • Add in the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk, mixing at a low speed.  Scrape the bowl and mix until everything is just combined.
  • Let the batter rest for about 15 minutes prior to putting into the cake pans.
  • Fill the cake pan 2/3 of the way. Level with an offset spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Check at 25 minutes.
  • Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes, before removing from pan and letting cool on wire rack.
  • Prepare second layer and bake remaining cake.

For Vanilla Bean Buttercream:

  • In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, and slapping the sides of the mixer.
  • Add one cup of sugar at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. When all the sugar is added in, be sure to add in the vanilla and salt.
  • Beat the frosting on medium high for about five minutes until light and fluffy. The frosting will increase in volume and become airy.
  • Use on cake when the cake cools completely.

To assemble cake:

  • Outfit a piping back with a round piping tip (#12).
  • Level cake layers. Set one cake layer on cake stand.
  • Pipe a ring around the top edge of cake layer. Fill ring with lemon curd. Set other leveled cake layer on top.
  • Top cake with remaining Frosting and smooth frosting over the rest of the cake. Pipe rings around the top and bottom edge of the cake. Pipe a ring around the top of the cake, and fill with any remaining lemon curd.
  • Slice cake and eat.

Keywords: Cake, Earl Grey, Tea, Vanilla, Buttercream, Frosting