This Mango Earl Grey Tea Cake brings out a delicate tea flavor that pairs perfectly with a layer of sweet and tangy mango jam. Frosted with cream cheese frosting, this cake is simply a satisfying sweet indulgence for tea lovers.
I am a tea lover. Either my mom.
I love the aroma of earl grey tea when it’s steaming in a teacup. I miss those mid-day moments when my mom and I were drinking a steaming hot cup of earl grey tea and talking about what we would have for dinner. Our pantry would always stock up lots of different kinds of tea until my dad came in and asked if there is any room for his ground coffee bags.
Hot beverages do not always need to come with desserts, but mom usually treats me with a big bowl of various fruit that she got from a local market. One of her favorites is ripe mango and it has become mine then. As Mother’s Day is around the corner, I want to make this cake which is dedicated to my mom by combining all her favorites.
EARL GREY TEA INFUSED MILK
Earl grey is simply black tea which has been flavored with the addition of oil from the rind of bergamot. The bergamot orange, commonly grown in Italy adds a hint of citrus to black tea, giving Earl Grey its citrussy and floral taste. Earl grey tea is one of the popular teas on the market and you can easily find in most grocery stores.
Infusing Earl Grey tea with milk or cream and a hint of vanilla extract will bring a little teatime to the cake. It would be such a delightful experience for me as when I was pouring the boiled water down onto the tea bags in a cup, the steaming smell from there came right into my nose and slowly started to spread over the kitchen. Seriously, I would make myself a comfort hot tea cup and enjoy a book right then!
You can use any type of milk if you want, make sure that it’s at room temperature. Half and half or whole milk would be great but dairy-free milk would also make a great option. Loose leaves or tea bags work well too and don’t forget to strain infused milk once it’s done steeping before using if you use loose leaf earl grey tea.
MAKE MANGO JAM
Making jam at home has never been so easy. One tip for you is to chop the mango into small pieces, around 1/4 inch cubes or you can blend mango until it’s mashed. I prefer doing the former as I want to leave some mango chunks between cake layers. Then mix in sugar and water and cook in a saucepan over medium heat until it gets thickened. Let it cool down to room temperature before using.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Seriously, if you have it right on your hand what else can be better than cream cheese frosting? I was at first thinking of making buttercream for this but I changed my mind. Since cake is infused with earl grey tea and sweet, fruity mango jam, dreamy tangy flavor will work better. Make it ahead of time, chill it overnight and well, don’t tell me that you eat spoonful out of it before frosting the cake?
More Cake Recipes:
Mango Earl Grey Tea Layer Cake
Ingredients
Earl Grey Cake
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour leveled
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) earl grey infused milk see in other instruction
Earl Grey Tea Infused Milk
- 3-4 earl grey tea bags depends on desired intensity
- 1 cup whole milk
Mango Jam
- 1 cup chopped mango chopped into small cubes or mashed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounce (224g) full fat block cream cheese (not cream cheese spread) softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For Earl Grey Tea Infused Milk
- Place whole milk in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, add earl grey tea bags, cover with a saucepan lid and let it steep for 10-25 minutes until tea combined with milk. Remove the tea bags and let it cool to room temperature. Set aside.
For Mango Jam
- Stir together chopped mango, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice. Cool to room temperature.
For Earl Grey Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F/175°C. Line 2 8-inch round baking pans (or you can use 3 6-inch round cake pans) with parchment paper or grease well with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed for 6 minutes until thick, fluffy and light. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed.
- On a medium-low speed, slowly add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, mixing until just combined. Add in earl grey tea infused milk and mix until the batter becomes smooth. Avoid overmixing.
- Divide batter evenly into your prepared cake pans, and bake on the center rack at 350˚F (175˚C) for 25-30 minutes, until the cake tester (or a toothpick) comes out clean. This means no wet batter remained in the cake.
- Allow the cake to cook in cake pans for 10-15 minutes before transferring to cool completely on a wire rack. The cake must be cool completely or chilled in the fridge for at least 1 hour before applying frosting.
Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat on low speed for 30 seconds until incorporated then beat on high speed for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
Assemble Cake
- In the middle of your cake board or a serving plate put some cream cheese frosting to stop the cake from moving around.
- Place one cake layer onto your serving plate. Using a small offset palette knife or a piping bag spread an even layer of cream cheese frosting, about 1-inch thick (or use around 1/2 whipped cream frosting) on the top of the layer. Add mango jam on top of the cream cheese frosting in an even layer.
- Add the second cake layer on top, remaining frosting, frost and smooth the sides using an offset spatula. Then decorate the top with fresh mango chunks and other herbs if desired. Cake is best served cold. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Notes
- The amount of sugar used in the recipe can be adjusted upon personal taste.
- Checking the cake after 20 minutes of baking is suggested as not all ovens are the same.
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