Earl Grey Cake with Lemon Buttercream

This Earl Grey Cake with Lemon Buttercream is the perfect afternoon dessert for tea lovers inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass.

  • Prep30 min
  • Cook45 min
  • Total1 hr 15 min
  • Yield12 servings
  • Calories574

Ingredients Steps

Earl Grey Cake with Lemon Buttercream

This Earl Grey Cake is the perfect afternoon dessert for tea lovers, with its tender and robust cake layered with silky lemon buttercream.

This Earl Grey Cake with Lemon Buttercream is the perfect afternoon dessert for tea lovers inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Earl Grey Cake

I had wanted to go to Scotland for as long as I can remember, but I wasn’t going for the food, more for the rich history and gorgeous scenery, but after getting into Edinburgh, we were hungry and headed to the Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote the majority of the Harry Potter series. It was there that I became acquainted with Earl Grey Cake, and it was then that I fell in love with it too. I’m a huge fan of tea-laced desserts like my Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies, but in a cake, it’s something else, I tell ya.

This Earl Grey Cake with Lemon Buttercream is the perfect afternoon dessert for tea lovers inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass.

A bold beautiful flavor that reminded me of afternoon tea with my grandmother after school. The cake in the cafe was served with cream cheese frosting, which was delicious, but for me, there’s no greater pairing than tea and lemon.

This Earl Grey Cake with Lemon Buttercream is the perfect afternoon dessert for tea lovers inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass.

The lemon buttercream is bursting with vibrant citrus notes thanks to the lemon zest and freshly squeezed juice. And when it hugs that Earl Grey Cake, it’s pure bliss. I thought this cake would make the perfect addition to any tea party!

This Earl Grey Cake with Lemon Buttercream is the perfect afternoon dessert for tea lovers inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass.

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Steps

Cake

  1. In a small saucepan, heat the and over medium heat until it begins to simmer.

  2. Remove from heat and add in the , cover, and steep for 20 minutes.

  3. Gently squeeze the tea bags to get the liquid out and pour the milk back into a measuring cup. Add additional milk if necessary to get the volume back to 1 cup. Let the milk cool to room temperature.

  4. Once the milk has cooled, preheat oven the to 350°F. Line the bottom of three 6-inch pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray and set aside.

  5. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the and until light and fluffy.

  6. Add one at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.

  7. In a large bowl, stir together the , , , and . Add to the butter mixture alternating with the tea milk, starting and ending with flour. Mix just until flour is combined.

  8. Add 2 cups of batter to each prepared cake pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until tops of cakes spring back when touched. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the and until smooth.

  2. Add , 1 cup at a time, alternating with the and , scrapping down the sides as needed.

  3. Whip on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the frosting is too soft, add a bit more sugar, if it's too stiff, add a little more heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time.

Assemble:

  1. Place the bottom layer of cake on a cake stand and add a light coat of frosting over it. Repeat with the next two layers, keep the crumb coat of frosting thin, and place in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.

  2. Remove and finish frosting the rest of the cake as desired. Garnish with fresh flowers and lemon slices if desired.

Nutrition

  • Calories574
  • Carbs59g
  • Protein6g
  • Fat35g
  • Saturated fat22g
  • Sugar34g
  • Sodium134mg

Estimates per serving, when a serving size is listed.