Have you ever tried an Earl Grey dessert? Earl Grey is known for being a delicate, floral, and fairly unique-to-taste tea. Some people say it tastes like lavender; others enjoy it for the slight citrus flavour that offsets all those floral notes. But one thing unites Earl Grey drinkers (or anyone who loves to buy black tea): the understanding that this delicious variety is stunning in desserts.
So, you're in the right place whether you're gearing up for a dinner party or just want to make something special for a loved one's birthday party! Read on as we detail two of our favourite Earl Grey recipes for anyone with a sweet tooth.
The benefits of baking with earl grey
Earl Grey tea is a blend of standard black tea with bergamot citrus extract, which gives this variety its distinct flavour and aroma. Whether enjoyed as a tea or folded into a dessert, the compounds in both ingredients have been partially linked to healthy digestion and the lowering of cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Aside from the potential health benefits of enjoying an Earl Grey dessert, cooking with this tea is a surefire way to impress your guests. There's a sophisticated palate to enjoy here, and adding loose leaves or brewed tea to your dessert is an easy way to elevate something simple into the stratosphere. The two desserts we're focusing on today are simple staples with a delicious Earl Grey twist. With that in mind, let's crack into the first one!
A classic earl grey cake recipe
The first is an Earl Grey cake recipe. Now, the best thing about this technique is that it's not technically a recipe at all. It's a way to enhance the recipes you're probably already baking with. We recommend taking your favourite vanilla cake recipe and infusing Earl Grey tea into the batter, which requires three simple additions:
- Instead of using normal milk for your recipe, infuse it with Earl Grey to transfer all that delicious flavour. We recommend one tablespoon of tea for every cup and a half of milk.
- Incorporate about a teaspoon of finely ground tea into the cake batter. Ensure it’s as fine as possible to prevent any pieces from getting stuck in your teeth.
- Make an Earl Grey syrup to brush over the cake layers before icing and assembling them. This is an optional step, but it brings that delicious floral flavour home. Simply whip up a simple syrup with equal parts white sugar and water and about a tablespoon of tea to finish it.
Serve your cake with a light layer of buttercream to allow the delicate flavours of the tea to shine through. Other strong flavours can easily overshadow Earl Grey, so in this case, less is more!
Earl grey shortbread cookies
If a cake isn’t quite the right type of dessert for you, might we recommend some cookies to go with a cup of Earl Grey? Shortbread cookies are one of the best Earl Grey recipes because they’re so rich in butter. Fats like butter and milk are the perfect vehicles for delicate tea flavours. Not to mention, shortbread is incredibly easy to make, so it’s ideal if you’re short on time and have a few guests coming over for a casual cup of tea.
You can use an existing shortbread recipe to make these cookies, with a few subtle alterations or substitutions to make the Earl Grey flavour shine through:
- If you have time, blend your softened butter with a tablespoon or two of Earl Grey loose leaves. One tablespoon to about half a cup of butter will allow the floral bergamot to really sing. Allow this to sit for as long as two hours so the tea can infuse into the butter.
- If you don't have much time, you can add blended tea leaves to your powdered sugar instead, making sure to whip your mixture until creamy.
- Drizzle your shortbread with a citrus glaze to offset all that rich Earl Grey flavour. Lemon or orange works beautifully here.
The best news is that these techniques will work for almost anything. Whether you're whipping up a new batch of cookies or experimenting with some cupcakes, you can creatively transform anything into an Earl Grey recipe. Happy baking from the team at Chanui!
To make great desserts like this, you’ll need some bloody good tea.
Chanui is New Zealand's tea. You can find us in the black box in your supermarket or pick up a box of loose-leaf tea online to make beautiful Earl Grey desserts.