“End Of Summer” Cake

Earl Grey cake with Vanilla Swiss Buttercream

One of my favorite cakes yet, this Earl Grey Cake was a test for a special order for someone who LOVES Earl Grey Tea. The cake layers are infused and finished with a silky Swiss Buttercream with Vanilla Bean Paste. Please be sure to fully read the recipe first before you begin to bake! Merci!

Note: Recipe adapted from Liv For Cake.

INGREDIENTS:

*Earl Grey Milk:

• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp Earl Grey Tea, heaping, loose leaf – I used French Bleu by Marriage Freres

Cake:

• 2 n1/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Earl Grey tea, finely ground – use coffee grinder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean paste
• 1 cup Earl Grey milk, room temperature*

Earl Grey Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves

Vanilla Bean Swiss Buttercream:

• 3 large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (3 sticks)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Earl Grey Milk: Bring milk and tea to boil in small saucepan. Turn off heat, cover and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and measure out 1 cup. 
2. Cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 2-3 cake rounds and line with parchment. This recipe would make 3 layers of 5″ or 6″ cake rounds. Smaller and taller cakes are most popular today.
3. In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, tea, and salt until combined. Set aside for later.
4. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium until lighter in color and fluffy. reduce speed and add eggs one at a time. add vanilla bean paste.
5. To the butter/sugar mixture in stand mixer, alternate adding flour mixture and Earl Grey milk, starting and ending with the flour, fully incorporating after each addition.
6. Evenly distribute cake batter between prepared pans.
7. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out mostly clean. Careful not to overtake this cake or it will be dry. Allow cakes to cool completely. 
8. Make Earl Grey Syrup: Place sugar, water and tea in small saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. Strain and cool completely. 
9. Make Vanilla Swiss Buttercream: Place egg whites and sugar in bowl of stand mixer and whisk until combined. Place this bowl over a double boiler on the stove, whisking constantly until mixture is hot (160F) and no longer grainy to the touch, You need to use a candy thermometer to watch the tenperature! Too hot and the whites will cook and curdle, too low and the meringue won’t whip as well and the whites will not have cooked to a safe temperature. Place the bowl back on your stand mixer and whisk on medium high until meringue is stiff and cooled, about 5-10 minutes. Switch to paddle attachment and slowly add the cubed butter and mix until smooth. See notes below. Add vanilla bean paste and mix until incorporated. 
10. Assembly: Place one layer of cake on cake dish or stand and brush generously with 3-4 tbsp of the Early Grey syrup. Top with a gerneous layer of the Vanilla Swiss Buttercream and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside of the cake with a thin crumb coat. Chill to set. Decorate top, and sides if desired, by piping rosettes on the top, or using a small metal pastry tip (Wilton 1M or 2D) pie a bunch of messy small stars all over the cake to create the hydrangea blossom look. Feel free to color your frosting using gel paste colors. 
11. Keep cake refrigerated if not serving right away. Serve cake at room temperature to allow the frosting to soften. 

NOTES: Make sure there are no egg yolks in the egg whites or the meringue will not stiffen. The Buttercream make look like it is breaking apart or curdled at some point but just keep mixing and it will all come back  together. Featured in this post is a single layer 5″ cake with mounds of Buttercream on the top. It was enough for 6! The Birthday cake that I made for the special order was 2 thick 6″ layers, with 8 large Buttercream Rosettes pipped on top and then topped with Chocolate Macarons. See photo below.

 

Bon Appétit !