by Chenée Lewis
I love this cake! This single-layer Earl Grey lavender cake is full of rich earl grey flavor with hints of lavender, lemon, and buttermilk. It's topped with a glossy honey lemon icing, and best of all, it's so easy to make!
A recipe like this lavender Earl Grey cake sounds complicated -- you might think you have to use fresh lavender flowers or infuse whole leaf tea. But it actually couldn't be simpler! It's actually a simple vanilla cake recipe, with tea leaves right in the batter to give it that distinctive Earl Grey flavor without any extra time!
This cake would be perfect for a casual dessert, a springtime tea party with friends. Maybe even for a low-key baby shower! The flavors are perfect and just make you think spring!
What does Earl Grey taste like?
This lavender Earl Grey cake is made with Earl Grey tea, which is a black tea flavored with bergamot, a type of citrus fruit. If you're not already a die-hard Earl Grey fan like me, you will be. It's DELICIOUS. It's a very distinctive flavor, and a delicious variation on a standard black tea. Plus, the citrus and tea flavors together work very well in baked goods, ranging from cakes and cookies to ice cream!
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For this cake, I used the type of Earl Grey that I buy to drink, which is Revolution Earl Grey Lavender Black Tea(affiliate link). It has the bright, citrusy flavor of bergamot, along with the soothing scent of lavender. I love the blend of a classic flavor with slight floral note! So I knew that it would be perfect in this easy Earl Grey lavender cake. But if you have another type of tea you prefer, I'm sure it would complement these flavors well! If you do try a different tea, share that in the comments so we can try it out!
To give this Earl Grey lavender cake its tea flavor, you'll just need to open your tea bags and stir the leaves into the batter. The smaller the tea leaves are the better, so if need be you can chop them a little before adding them.
Ingredients
- eggs - your eggs should be room temperature to achieve the best fluffy texture in this lavender Earl Grey cake.
- granulated sugar - adds a light sweetness to your cake batter.
- vanilla extract - definitely look for a high-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- vegetable oil - using oil instead of butter in this cake keeps the baking process easy and keeps our cake moist!
- buttermilk - adds even more of that moist texture and tangy flavor.
- all-purpose flour - be sure that you measure out your flour using either the spoon-and-level method or (even better) a food scale to measure by weight. Both will help you get the right amount of flour, but using a food scale to measure out 160 grams.
- baking powder and baking soda - these help to give our cake a lift!
- lavender Earl Grey tea - I use Revolution Earl Grey Lavender Black Teafor this recipe, but you can use any Earl Grey you prefer and add in a half teaspoon of lavender extract.
- salt- balances out the sweetness the batter.
Honey-Lemon Glaze
- zest of one lemon
- 2tbsphoney
- 2cupspowdered sugar-(240g)
- 2-4tbspfresh lemon juice-or as much as you need to get the right consistency
Equipment
You'll need an 8-inch cake pan for this Earl Grey lavender cake recipe, but otherwise it's a simple bowl-and-whisk cake recipe!
Step by Step
This cake is so easy! It's a one bowl recipe that you can whisk together in just a few minutes!
- First, you'll mix together your wet ingredients: Eggs, sugar, and vanilla, followed by the oil and buttermilk.
- Then just fold in your dry ingredients: Flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and tea leaves.
- Then just pour it into your pan and bake!
It's that simple! And it's a single layer cake, which is my favorite type of easy cake to whip up for a casual occasion. So go ahead and get baking!
Tips and F.A.Q.
Does Earl Grey have lavender?
Not traditionally -- Earl Grey is a black tea that has been flavored with citrusy flavor of the oil of bergamot. But many variations on Earl Grey have included lavender, and the lavender variation is often called French Earl Grey tea.
What goes well with Earl Grey flavor?
Just like in this cake, my favorite accompaniments for Earl Grey are lavender, vanilla, honey, and lemon. Other great flavors to go with Earl Grey are blackberry, chocolate and cardamom.
How do you infuse Earl Grey for baking?
One of the most popular ways is to infuse the tea into warm milk prior to baking. That method allows for a variable tea flavor without affecting the look and texture of your bake. In this Earl Grey lavender cake, we're baking the tea leaves right into the cake! I love this method because it's much easier, and it means you can see the bits of tea leaves right in the crumb of the cake.
How much caffeine is in an Earl Grey cake?
It depends! Most tea bags contain between 30 and 50 mg of caffeine, depending on the amount of tea in each bag and the variety of tea used. Since we're using three bags of tea in this Earl Grey lavender cake, I'd estimate about 150 mg of caffeine in the entire cake.
Related Recipes
If you like this easy Earl Grey lavender cake, then you definitely will want to try another quick and easy single-layer cake recipe, my Pineapple Upside-Down Cake! It's full of that caramelized pineapple flavor and it's SO quick and easy!
You also might like my Orange Rosemary Olive Oil Cake -- like this lavender Earl Grey cake, it's got bright, citrus flavors, and it's made in the same 8-inch cake pan! So easy!
📖 Recipe
Earl Grey Lavender Cake
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An Earl Grey lavender cake recipe with Earl Grey lavender tea leaves in the cake batter, and topped with a honey-lemon glaze! Perfect Earl Grey cake for any occasion!
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert, Tea
Cuisine :American, British
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 415kcal
Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk - (see note)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour - (160g)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 3 bags Lavender Earl Grey Tea - or 2 tablespoon of crushed full-leaf tea (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt - optional
Honey-Lemon Glaze
- zest of one lemon
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 cups powdered sugar - (240g)
- 2-4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice - or as needed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, tea, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla with a whisk until thickened and smooth.
Mix in oil, followed by buttermilk until blended.
Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just barely combined.
Pour into prepared cake pan and drop from 2 inches onto counter to get rid of air bubbles.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare Honey-Lemon Glaze:
Whisk together honey, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoon lemon juice in a bowl.
Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.
Add lemon juice as necessary to achieve a very thick, but pourable consistency.
Spread glaze over cooled cake.
Video
Notes
Buttermilk: I prefer using full-fat buttermilk in this Earl Grey lavender cake because it adds flavor and richness, and keeps the cake moist for longer. But ifyou don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute ½ cup of whole milk with 2 teaspoon of the milk replaced with vinegar or lemon juice.
Lavender Earl Grey Tea: I use Revolution Earl Grey Lavender Black Teafor this recipe, but you can use any Earl Grey tea you prefer, and for the lavender flavor add ½ teaspoon of lavender extract (or 1 teaspoon of crushed culinary lavender buds).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 piece | Calories: 415 kcal | Carbohydrates: 76 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: 47 mg | Sodium: 148 mg | Potassium: 148 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 60 g | Calcium: 62 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can't wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!
PIN this Earl Grey lavender cake recipe for later!
Last Updated on January 25, 2022 by Chenée Lewis
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Tara
Do you just cut the tea bags to add the tea mixture?
Reply
Chenée Lewis
Yes exactly!
Reply
Rina McLuckie
Your recipe calls for all purpose flour, have you tried baking it with cake flour?
Reply
Chenée Lewis
I haven't, but I would imagine it would work great!
Reply
Renee
My daughter is a real Earl Grey fan, and this just might be her favorite cake! Thanks so much for the recipe! That bergamot, lavender, and lemon combo is fabulous!Reply
Chenée Lewis
So glad to hear it! Thanks so much!
Reply
Anjali
This cake turned out perfectly!! It was slightly herbal, slightly savory, and the honey lemon glaze went great with the lavender flavors. I enjoyed it with my morning coffee for a breakfast treat!Reply
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! I'm happy that you enjoyed it!
Reply
Seema Sriram
Earl grey is my daughter's favourite flavour. We adore this cake and am going to make it again for her birthday.Reply
Chenée Lewis
Yay! So glad you both love the recipe!
Reply
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dessert last night and it was a sweet success! Turned out perfectly light, fluffy and delicious; my whole family loved it!Reply
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! That's great to hear!
Reply
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