This Earl Grey Loaf Cake is perfect for a summer afternoon. A light, soft sponge with a delicate Earl Grey flavour. Complemented beautifully by a thick lemon buttercream for a delightfully sweet treat.
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Earl Grey is such a lovely flavour. I find it so comforting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big tea drinker, and drink Yorkshire tea almost constantly.
I wouldn’t trade this for an Earl Grey.
But, sometimes I fancy something different. Earl Grey has a lovely delicate, almost floral flavour, which I really enjoy.
I do add milk to it though, I’m not a traditional Earl Grey and Lemon girl!
But, this inspired my cake. Earl Grey cake with Lavender is a popular combination, but I don’t like eating lavender. It’s too…purple. It’s just not a flavour that I enjoy.
But, people drink Earl Grey tea with lemon, so surely an Earl Grey Loaf Cake with Lemon Buttercream would work well?
For me, the key is keeping the Lemon Buttercream on the sweet side, avoiding too much tangy lemon flavour.
It’s very creamy, and quite a mild flavour which perfectly complements the slightly bitter tea taste.
This Earl Grey Loaf Cake is a really light and soft sponge. I add a little vanilla, just to cut through that bitterness, and leave you with a sweet and delicate flavour.
You can taste the Earl Grey, but it’s not overpowering.
Other Tea Cakes
I love the flavour of Earl Grey, so this Earl Grey Loaf Cake with Lemon Buttercream is perfect. But, if you’re not a huge Earl Grey fan, why not experiment with different kinds of tea?
Any tea that you would usually drink with milk will work in this recipe really well, but you could even try mint teas and other flavours.
What Flavour Buttercream Will Work Well with an Earl Grey Loaf Cake?
If you like eating lavender flavour things, then a simple lavender buttercream would probably work really well. It’s just not my thing. I think a classic Vanilla would be really good too.
But, for me, lemon is the one. I love a creamy lemon buttercream, probably even more than chocolate! One of my absolute favourites.
Can You Make Lemon Buttercream without Fresh Lemons?
Yes! I actually love lemon buttercream made with lemon curd, which we’ve pretty much always got in our fridge because lemon curd on toast is exceptionally good!
Mix your butter and sugar, add lemon curd a tbsp at a time, stirring through and tasting until it’s as strong a flavour as you like. Add more icing sugar if it needs thickening and a little milk if it’s too stiff.
You can also use bottled lemon juice for your lemon buttercream. Again, I’d add a little at a time, until you get the flavour that you want.
Enough Buttercream?
As you can see in my pictures, my layer of Lemon Buttercream is on the thick side. It always takes me a while to get the consistency just right. I add a little more lemon, then a little more icing sugar and on and on.
The recipe here is enough for a good thick layer, but if you prefer less, you could halve it, or freeze any that you don’t use in an airtight tub.
Buttercream can go a little bitty when it thaws, but I find mixing in a little milk helps it to return to a nice texture.
Will This Buttercream Crust?
Yes. It’s nice and smooth and soft when it goes on, but after a few hours the top will crust slightly, as with all basic buttercream. It’s totally normal, just setting, and it will still taste great.
Other Easy Cakes
And for help getting the perfect loaf cake, read my top tips!
Earl Grey Loaf Cake with Lemon Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 100 g Butter (Or margarine plus extra to grease tin)
- 100 ml Semi-skimmed milk
- 5 Earl Grey Teabags
- 3 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
- 200 g Self-raising flour
For the buttercream:
- 100 g Butter (At room temperature)
- 220 g Icing sugar
- 1/2 Lemon (Zest and juice)
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a loaf tin.
- Add the milk and teabags to a small saucepan and place over a very low heat.
- Heat up very gently, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, without ever bringing the milk to the boil.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Once cool enough to touch, squeeze the teabags out into the milk and then throw them away.
- Leave the milk to one side to further cool.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
- Add the eggs, mixing in one at a time.
- Pour in the vanilla and the earl grey infused milk.
- Stir together well.
- Sift in the flour and fold until the mixture is smooth and even.
- Pour the cake mix into the loaf tin and spread evenly.
- Bake for around 45 minutes, testing to see if it is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre, if cooked it will come out clean.
- Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes before tipping onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream:
- Beat the butter until soft.
- Add the icing sugar and continue to beat until smooth.
- Add the zest and juice of half a lemon and stir through thoroughly.
- If the mixture is too runny, add more icing sugar, a little at a time. If it’s too thick, add milk a few drops at a time until it is thick but spreadable.
- Use a palette knife to spread the icing onto the cooled cake thickly.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
