Today’s post is special because it has been requested by a dear reader of the blog. I made this Vanilla And Earl Grey Cake a couple of months ago when I was experimenting with naked cakes and different ways of decorating them for Styling magazine. Earl Grey is an all time favourite flavour of mine. Just by infusing one or two teabags of Earl Grey tea in milk or cream you end up with a refreshingly unique flavour that is slightly citrus, slightly spicy and mildly smoky. This unique flavour in Earl Grey tea comes from the presence of Bergamot which is a citrus fruit that looks like an orange with a yellow colour. The Earl Grey infused milk/cream can be used to make amazing desserts like this Chocolate Mousse or Panna Cotta and of course, to flavour buttercream. Now that’s a great flavoring agent, don’t you think? To make the Earl Grey shine in the cake, I stuck to good old vanilla for the cake layers.

I decorated the same cake in two ways and shot them twice. For the first one, I left the Earl Grey buttercream as is (white) and piped roses on one side of the cake. Then I removed the buttercream, tinted it pink with food colour and piped pink roses on the cake. To be honest, I didn’t think I would be posting this recipe or I would have shot a few different angles. But since you guys liked it (going by your requests and response on IG and FB)…it’s all yours!  The magazine chose the first one, though I’ll confess I like this one a teeny bit more. You can see the first one in the current issue of Styling Magazine if interested. A cake is like a blank canvas for me…pick up your tools, choose your colours, settle on your garnishes and the sky is the limit!

Vanilla And Earl Grey Cake
Makes a 7 inch, 3 layered round cake

3 cups self-raising flour
1 cup plain flour
2 cups caster sugar
300 g butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups milk
6 eggs, at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla essence

Earl Grey Buttercream
3 tbsp milk
2 Earl Grey tea bags
4 egg whites
1 cup castor sugar
300 g unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 140°C. Grease 3 round 7 inch cake pans with melted butter and line the bases with non-stick baking paper.

Place the self-raising flour, plain flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric beater to beat on low speed for 30 seconds or until just combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is thick and all the butter is incorporated. Divide the mixture into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack until completely cool.

Once cooled completely, frost the cake. Place one layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread about half cup of frosting (recipe below). Place the second layer and repeat. Frost the top and sides of the cake.

To make the buttercream: Place the tea bags in a small heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan or a microwave, warm the milk until it reaches boiling point. Remove from heat and pour the hot milk over the tea bags. Let steep for 10 minutes. Squeeze out liquid from the tea bags (don’t over steep or the resulting flavour will be bitter). Cool to room temperature.

Place the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water (over low heat), and whisk continuously, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the bottom of the bowl is warm to touch

Remove the bowl from the heat and whip on high speed until meringue holds stiff peaks and looks glossy. The bowl should have completely cooled by now.
Add the butter, 2 tablespoon at a time, until thick and fluffy. If it begins to look curdled, continue to whip until it comes back together, before adding in remaining butter.

When the buttercream has come together, add the Earl Grey infused milk and blend into the buttercream.