Earl Grey Pound Cake with Lemon Curd

This Earl Grey pound cake recipe makes a moist and fragrant loaf cake, infused with the delicate flavors of bergamot and citrus. The cake is flavored with the rich aroma of Earl Grey tea and is complemented perfectly by the tangy and luscious homemade lemon curd drizzle.

Jump to:

• ❤️Why you will love this recipe
• 📋Ingredients
• 🧾Substitution and variations
• 👩🏻‍🍳How to make
• 🍽️Serving & storage
• 💡Expert tips
• 💭FAQs
• ❤️More recipes you will love ❤️
• 📖Recipe

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This great recipe makes a simple cake packed with Earl Grey flavor. It is a perfect treat for tea lovers.
• The cake is easy to make, and can be put together fairly quickly. Unlike sponge cakes or cheesecakes, there is no need to separate the egg yolk and eggs whites, and no complex water bath baking techniques.
• It makes a lovely tea time treat for afternoon tea, along with a cup of Earl Grey tea.
• The cake is absolutely delicious on its own and can also be served with a wide range of simple toppings like simple sugar glaze, lemon glaze like in this lime pound cake, lemon curd and even tea infused sugar glaze. 

📋Ingredients

For the cake

• Self raising flour + baking powder + salt - mix these together and sift them into the cake batter.
• Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - it is best to use fine sugar like granulated sugar in this cake. Coarse sugar will leave specks of sugar marks on the surface of the cake after baking.
• Butter - I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add a small extra pinch of salt in the recipe.
• Eggs - Use large eggs (large sized eggs)
• Earl Grey tea bags (leaves) - these can be purchased from local supermarkets. Use good quality tea for best results.
• Milk - use whole milk for a rich cake.

For the drizzle glaze

• Egg - use large size eggs
• White sugar - unlike for the cake, the sugar to make lemon curd can be coarse as it will be cooked over heat and that will dissolve the sugar completely.
• Lemon zest + lemon juice - use fresh lemons, and make sure to strain the juice from seeds and pulp.
• Butter - I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add a tiny pinch of salt to the recipe.

*Refer to the recipe card below for exact quantities of the ingredients above. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*

🧾Substitution and variations

• Self raising flour can be substituted with all purpose flour and baking powder. For every 225g of plain flour, add one and half teaspoons of baking powder. Mix well and sift at least 3 times before using. For 180g of all purpose flour (as per the recipe card below), add one teaspoon plus another one fifth teaspoon of baking powder into 180g of all purpose flour.
• Granulated sugar for the cake can be replaced with fine brown sugar. Use in the exact same quantity.
• Earl Grey tea bags can be substituted with loose tea leaves. For 3 bags indicated in the recipe, replace with 1 tablespoon of loose leaves.
• Whole milk can be replaced with skimmed milk or milk made with powder milk. You can also use oat milk or almond milk. Use exact same amount as indicated in the recipe.
• Salted butter can be replaced with unsalted butter but add a small extra pinch of salt separately.
• This cake can also be baked in round cake tins. Use a 7 inches round cake tin for a single layer cake with a height of approximately 2 inches. Double the recipe and bake in 2 tins if you wish to make a 2 layer cake for a birthday or other celebration and decorate with your frosting of choice. The cake will work well with buttercream or cream cheese frosting.
• The cake can also be baked into a bundt cake. Use a bundt tin with a capacity of 6 cups of batter. Reduce the baking temperature to 160 degrees Celsius and bake for 30 minutes.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!

👩🏻‍🍳How to make

Steeping Earl Grey

1. Add milk into a small saucepan or pot.
2. Cut the tea bags open and add the Earl Grey leaves into the milk.
3. Turn on the heat and let the milk heat up to a near boil. Turn off the heat and cover. Let the it steep for at least 3 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and strain the leaves with a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the leaves.

Mixing the cake batter

1. Add the tea leaves into a blender. Since the quantity of the leaves is too little, add some granulated sugar into the blender to give volume. Blend until the sugar and leaves are fine. Add the ground leaves and sugar mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining sugar, followed by the butter.
2. Cream the butter, sugar and the leaves mixture on medium speed in a large bowl with an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer) until turns light and fluffy.
3. Next, add the eggs into the sugar and butter mixture, one at a time. Each time, beat until all the traces of the eggs are no longer visible. Scrape the sides of bowl halfway through.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold these sifted dry ingredients into the creamed mixture in 2 batches.
5. Alternate each batch with the concentrated Earl Grey-infused milk solution in 2 batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
6. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan (well greased and floured or lined with parchment paper) measuring 8 inches by 4 inches. Level the top and bake the cake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 40 to 45 minutes.

For best results, test the cake for doneness about 5 to 10 minutes before the baking time is up by inserting a cake tester or wooden skewer in the middle of the cake. If the skewer comes out without any wet batter, the cake is done and can be removed from the oven.

Let the cake rest in the tin for about 2 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool down.

Making the homemade lemon curd drizzle

1. Zest the lemon. Set aside. Cut the lemon and juice it. Strain the juice. Measure sugar into a heat proof bowl (medium bowl).
2. Pour the lemon juice into the sugar.
3. Add the lemon zest.
4. Double boil the sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved.

1. Next, add in the lightly beaten egg. Mix constantly to avoid curdling. Add butter and continue to cook until the mixture thickens. Stir constantly to avoid the egg from curdling. To test for the correct consistency, dip a spoon into the curd and lift it. The curd is ready if it covers the back of the spoon.
2. Remove the curd from heat and strain it to remove any lumps, especially the eggs.
3. Wrap the lemon curd with a piece of plastic wrap. Make sure the cling wrap touches the entire surface of the curd to avoid skin from forming on top of the curd as it cools down. Once completely cooled, fill it into a piping bag (remember to not snip the tip of the piping bag yet) and leave it aside while waiting for the cake to cool down.
4. Once the cake has cooled down, snip the tip of the piping bag and pipe drizzles of the curd on the cake before cutting and serving.

🍽️Serving & storage

• The cake can be served warm or completed cooled at room temperature. It can last well at room temperature for a good 3 to 4 days.
• If you wish to keep it longer, refrigerate the cake and it should last for a good one week. Bring the cake to room temperature before consuming.

💡Expert tips

• Tips for a moist loaf cake:
  • Do not over bake the cake. Test the cake for doneness at least 5 minutes before the baking time is up by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out without any wet batter, the cake is done and can be removed from the oven. If not, let the cake continue to bake a few more minutes and test again. Overbaking can result in dry cakes.
  • Also, keep the cake covered with a kitchen towel while cooling down. This also help avoid the cake from drying out.
  • Another tip for a moist pound cake is to wrap the cake in cling wrap (plastic wrap) as soon as the cake cools down to a warm temperature. Wrap it well and refrigerate until the cake it ready to use. Let the cake come to room temperature before removing the wrap to avoid condensation. The cake is also best served at room temperature.

💭FAQs

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📖Recipe