Earl Grey Cake With Dark Chocolate Frosting
This soft 2-layer cake is infused with earl grey tea. A shiny, luxurious dark chocolate frosting ties it all together.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
Earl Grey Cake
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons earl grey tea (3-4 teabags)
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
Dark Chocolate Frosting
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup hot earl grey tea
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
For the earl grey cake:
- Grease two 6-inch pans and line with parchment. Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Scald the milk, add the tea, and let steep, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the soft butter and mix on low until the butter breaks down into pea-sized crumbs.
- In a separate bowl, combine strained milk, egg whites, and vanilla. Add all but 1/4 cup of liquid ingredients to the stand mixer and blend on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour in remaining milk mixture and blend until combined, 1 minute.
- Divide batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely.
- Invert and remove from pans, removing parchment from the bottom of the cake.
For the chocolate frosting:
- Cream together the cocoa powder and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until well blended, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the honey, vanilla, and salt; mix until smooth. Add the hot tea gradually, mixing on low and scraping the bowl part way through. Blend well.
- Add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until blended. Turn the speed up to medium and whip until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
To assemble cake:
- Slice the rounded tops of cake layers to make cakes flat, if necessary. Spread chocolate frosting in between layers.
- Coat the filled cake with a thin layer of chocolate frosting and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Apply final frosting as desired.
Notes
Cake can be enjoyed immediately with a cup of coffee or earl grey tea. If not eating right away, store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
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