Lavender Earl Grey Cake with Lavender Buttercream

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This recipe makes a moist cake, with a combination of delicious lavender and Earl Grey flavor. It stays moist for days.
• With its floral flavors from the lavender flowers, this pretty cake in pastel color makes a perfect cake for mother's day. It will also work great as a wedding cake and baby shower cake.
• The cake is easy to make, and the decorating idea can be mastered by even beginner bakers.
• The cake can be made a day in advance, making it very convenient as a party cake for your party the next day.

Cake

• Self raising flour + salt + baking powder - mix these and sift them together before adding into the cake batter.
• Butter - I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add an extra one eighth of a teaspoon of salt in the recipe.
• Granulated sugar - works best for this recipe and all cake recipes. Coarse sugar will not dissolve properly and leave the top of your cakes with specks of sugar after baking.
• Eggs - Use large eggs (large sized eggs)
• Milk - whole milk works best for a rich cake.
• Earl Grey tea leaves (in tea bags) - choose good quality tea for best results.

Buttercream

• Powdered sugar (icing sugar) - sift the sugar first to break any lumps.
• Butter - use salted butter. The salt enhances the flavor of the buttercream.
• Lavender powder - this can be purchased from food stores. Make sure it is of food grade and good quality.
• Purple food coloring - this is to enhance the color of the buttercream to a pastel purple.
• Milk (optional) - to be used if the buttercream is too stiff, otherwise there is no need for milk.

Decoration

• Lavender flowers (buds) - make sure to use food grade flowers that are safe for consumption.

🧾Substitution and variations

• Self raising flour can be substituted with all purpose flour (plain flour) and baking powder. For every 225g of all purpose flour, add one and half teaspoons of baking powder. Mix well and sift three times before using. To make 440g of self raising flour (as indicated in the recipe card below), mix 440g of all purpose flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder.
• Whole milk can be replaced with skimmed milk, or even almond milk or oat milk.
• Earl Grey tea bags can be replaced with loose tea leaves. For every teabag, replace with 1 teaspoon of loose leaves.
• You can make your own lavender powder by grinding the dried buds to a fine powder in a spice grinder.

Making the tea infused milk

The first set of steps of making this Earl Grey is to make the tea-infused milk.

1. Start by pouring the milk into a small saucepan or pot. Place it on the stove and heat it up (on medium low heat) until the milk starts to bubble on the sides.
2. Turn off the heat and dip 3 Earl Grey tea bags into the hot milk.
3. Cover the pot and let the tea steep in the hot milk for 3 minutes.
4. After 3 minutes, remove the bags (squeeze out all the tea with the back of a spoon) and discard them. Set the milk aside to cool to room temperature.

Mixing the cake batter

1. Cut open the remaining tea bag (1 bag) and pour the leaves into a food processor. To add more volume for the machine to process the leaves, add a few spoons of granulated sugar and grind the sugar and the leaves to a fine powder.
2. Transfer the ground leaves mixture into a large bowl of a stand mixer. Add butter and the remaining granulated sugar.
3. Cream all 3 ingredients (butter, sugar and the tea leaves) until light and fluffy (with paddle attachment). Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl half way through. Next, add the eggs. Add them one at a time. And each time, beat until all the traces of the eggs are no longer visible. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
4. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and sift these dry ingredients into the creamed wet ingredients.
5. Fold the flour mixture in 3 batches and alternate each batch with the tea-infused milk in 2 batches. Start and end with the flour mixture.
6. Pour the cake batter into 2 prepared cake pans (well greased and floured). Level the tops. Bake the cakes in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes. Test the cakes by inserting a skewer or cake tester in the center of each cake at about 40 minutes into baking time. If the skewer comes out without any wet batter sticking to it, the cakes are done and can be removed from the oven. If not, let them bake a little longer and test again.

Remove the baked cake layers from the oven and let them rest in the cake tins for about 2 to 3 minutes before turning them onto wire rack to cool completely.

Making the lavender buttercream

1. To make the lavender buttercream, sift the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter.
2. Cream until the sugar and butter mixture turns light and fluffy with an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer). Sift in the lavender powder.
3. Continue beating until the lavender is well incorporated.
4. Next, add a few drops of purple food coloring and mix well. And finally, if the icing appears too stiff, add about one or two tablespoons of milk and beat well. Start with one tablespoon and only add the remaining milk if necessary.

Decorating the cake

To assemble and decorate the cake, start by leveling the tops of each cake layer (if domed) with a serrated knife or cake leveler.

1. Place the first cake layer on a cake board. Spread the buttercream on top and top the cake with the second cake layer.
2. Apply the remaining frosting to the sides and top of the cake evenly.
3. Use an icing scraper to level the sides and the top.
4. To decorate the cake with the horizontal lines, place the cake on a cake turntable. Place an offset spatula at the base of the cake and gently move the spatula upwards on the sides of the cake as you turn the turntable. That should form the lines of the sides of the cake.
5. Repeat the process for the top of the cake, moving the spatula from the center of the cake to the sides as you turn the turntable.
6. To complete the lavender Earl Grey cake decoration, sprinkle some lavender buds on the top of the cake, around the edges.

🍽️Serving & storage

• The cake can be made and decorated a day in advance. It can be left at room temperature, in a cool and dry place and properly covered.
• If handled without any moisture, this Earl Grey cake lasts well. It can last for a good 4 to 5 days at room temperature and for a good 1 week if refrigerated. Store in an airtight container to preserve its moist texture.

💡Expert tips

• Tips for a moist cake:
  • Keep to the baking time. Overbaking will result in a dry cake. It is best to check the cake for doneness at least 10 minutes before the baking time is up. Insert a skewer into the center of the cake and if it comes out without any wet cake batter sticking to it, it is done and can be removed from the oven. If not, let it continue baking for another few minutes before testing again.
  • Once the cake is baked and removed from the cake tin, keep it covered with a kitchen towel as it cools down to room temperature. Covering the cake will also help in avoiding it from becoming dry.
  • The other tip is to wrap the cake in plastic wrap once it cools down to a warm temperature and refrigerating it until it cools down completely or overnight. This process traps the steam from the cake and helps keep the cake moist even after it has cooled down completely. To serve the cake, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature before removing the cling wrap. This will avoid condensation on the cake which can reduce its shelf life.

💭FAQs