Ingredients
Earl Grey Tea Cakes
- 2/3 cup milk
- 5 Earl Grey tea bags
- 7 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
- 1 1/3 baking powder
Earl Grey Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 3/4 ounces butter
- 3-4 tablespoons Earl Grey tea (strongly steeped)
- 1-2 drops of purple food coloring (for a lilac color)
Steps
Earl Grey Tea Cakes
- Place the milk in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat it for 90 seconds or until it is hot but not boiling.
- Add the tea bags and stir briefly. Cover with a piece of foil.
- Infuse the hot milk for 12-15 minutes, until the milk is a caramel color and very fragrant.
- Pour the milk through a wire strainer into a measuring cup, to remove the tea bags. Squeeze the bags over the milk to extract all of the flavor. You should have 1 cup of milk.
- Cool until the milk is room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Grease an 8-inch cake tin and line it with baking paper.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl until pale and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Using a spatula, fold in the flour, lemon zest, baking powder and milk until combined.
- Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 1 hour until a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Earl Grey Glaze
- For the glaze, place all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl and melt over a double boiler until the icing is melted, glossy, and smooth.
- Cut the cake into even squares and cover entirely with the glaze.
- Let dry on a wire rack positioned over a baking sheet to catch the drips.
- Decorate with edible flowers.