Lavender Earl Grey Cake

In my opinion, a cake completes any celebration. They just make the statement that “we are here for happiness” and brighten up any table.

If someone walks into your house and sees a cake sitting on the counter I can make a pretty safe bet they will say “what are we celebrating?”

Keep in mind, however, you don’t NEED to be celebrating anything to make a cake, especially this cake. It’s really a celebration in itself, so make it for a birthday or baby shower or a Tuesday, or even a Wednesday. 

Earl Grey and lavender are two flavors that seem like they were made for each other. Like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, and chocolate and anything.

It’s a pair of flavors that complement each other so well you might wonder why they are ever served separately. If this is your first time experimenting with these two flavors, I can almost guarantee it will not be the last. 

The flavor notes are subtle but important. It’s not an overpowering “tea” flavor at all, it’s more like a delicious cake complemented by a cup of tea. Sweet, creamy, and lovely any time of day. 

And now that I’ve thoroughly talked it up, let’s bake the cake! 

Step-By-Step Instructions For Lavender Earl Grey Cake

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 F and grease three 6” cake pans. 

Next, infuse your tea and milk to make Earl Grey milk. There are a couple of ways to go about this.

I have disposable tea bags that I fill myself that I used here. If that’s an option, generously fill your tea bag and let it steep as your milk warms. Just before the milk starts to bubble, remove it from heat and let it steep for 10 more minutes.

If you don’t have teabags, add the loose leaf tea directly to the milk and follow the same instructions. Once it’s properly steeped, strain the tea leaves out of the milk with a fine-mesh strainer.

If you only have earl grey tea without the lavender, you can always add lavender extract to the mix. A 1/2 teaspoon of lavender extract should be sufficient.

For the frosting, there is the option to make it Earl Grey lavender flavored as well, if you choose to do this I recommend making an additional ½ cup of milk tea at this point and setting it aside for use in the frosting.

You’ll need to keep a watchful eye as you do this as milk can quickly scald and you’ll have to start over.  If you’re not sure if it’s scalded, give it a sniff, scalded milk has a strong and unpleasant aroma you won’t be able to miss. 

Allow the tea milk to cool close to room temperature. 

In the meantime, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and crushed tea leaves. The crushed tea leaves are optional, but I do recommend them. It helps achieve more of the Earl Grey flavor we are after and adds beautiful flecks of color to the cake. 

If you choose to add it, make sure the tea leaves are ground as finely as possible. You do not want a crunch in the cake. This can be achieved with a sharp knife gone over the leaves a couple times, a mortar and pestle, or a coffee grinder. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and sugar, beating until well combined, about 3 minutes. Then, one at a time, beat in the eggs. Do the same with the vanilla. Combining well. Do not be afraid to use the highest setting on your mixer. 

In the bowl of the stand mixer begin to add the flour mix and the Earl Grey milk. Add a little flour followed by a little milk, in about three additions, mixing gently between each addition or doing it as the mixer stays on a low speed.

At this point, it’s very important not to overmix to maintain the soft texture of the cake. 

Divide the batter evenly between your prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until the cake gently bounces back when you push the center and the edges have just begun to brown. 

Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. When they are completely cool you can choose to frost them or wrap them in saran wrap and place them in the fridge or freezer if you are frosting the cake on another day.

I prefer to work with a very cold cake when frosting so even when frosting the same day, I wrap them up and allow them to cool in the fridge or freezer for at least an hour. 

To make the frosting, combine all the ingredients except for the milk in the bowl of a stand mixture. Beat on high until they come together, this will require some scraping of the bowl with a spatula as you go. The mixture should be fairly dry and perhaps even crumbly.

Slowly add your liquid until it comes together and forms frosting. You are in control of the thickness of your frosting, so adjust as needed until you reach your desired consistency.

Keep in mind if it gets too soft you can always add more powdered sugar or let it cool in the fridge for some time. 

When completely cool, it’s ready to assemble your cake. If you desire you can level the cakes before stacking, if you have a cake leveler or just a sharp serrated knife cut off the rounded tops and make a flat surface.

Using frosting between each layer stack them up and cover completely in frosting, followed by your desired decorating style. I opted for finely ground tea leaves and some dried flowers. 

Enjoy!

How To Make Earl Grey Lavender Cake

Step 1

Gather your ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease three 6 inch cake pans. 

Step 2

In a small saucepan, steep the earl grey lavender tea in the milk over medium heat, with a teabag, or place tea directly in the milk. Just before it boils remove the pan from heat and allow the tea to steep for 5-10 minutes.

If you did not use a teabag, strain out the tea leaves with a fine-mesh strainer. Allow the milk to cool. 

Step 3

In a separate bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, finely ground earl grey lavender tea, and salt.

Step 4

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar. One at a time, add the eggs, beating well between additions. Add the vanilla and mix again. 

Step 5

Alternately, add the flour mixture and the earl grey milk to the butter mixture in three additions. Mix until just combined. 

Step 6

Divide the batter evenly among prepared cake pans and bake for 35 minutes or until cakes begin to brown on the edges and spring back when gently pressed in the center.

Step 7

Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to cool completely on wire cooling racks. 

Either continue to chill them in the refrigerator or frost at this time.

Step 8

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer add the powdered sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla.

With the paddle attachment beat the mixture until it comes together, using a spatula to scrape the sides as needed.

Slowly add the milk, or earl grey lavender milk, until the desired consistency is formed.

Step 9

Frost your cake and enjoy!

If you’re not sure how to properly frost a cake, check out our carrot cake recipe for instructions on how to assemble frosting on a cake.

Up Next: Vanilla Cake Without Buttermilk