Inspired by the London Fog—a drink made with Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, and sweetener—this cake is infused with fragrant Earl Grey tea and rich vanilla and covered with a buttery, sugary coating. It’s a lovely balance of elegance and ease.
London Fog Bundt Cake
Makes 1 (10-cup) Bundt cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk, room temperature
- 3¾ teaspoons (9 grams) finely chopped Earl Grey tea leaves (about 3 bags), divided
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) lemon zest
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 large eggs (150 grams), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups (344 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (6 grams) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
Topping:
- 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons (3 grams) finely chopped Earl Grey tea leaves
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C).
- For cake: In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat milk and 1¼ teaspoons (3 grams) tea leaves on high in 20-second intervals just until steaming. Cover with plastic wrap; let cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together sugar, zests, and remaining 2½ teaspoons (6 grams) tea leaves by hand until sugar is fragrant. Add butter; using the paddle attachment, beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with cooled milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until combined after each addition and stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
- Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Firmly tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter 7 to 10 times to level batter and release any air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean and an instant- read thermometer inserted near center registers at least 205°F (96°C), 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- For topping: In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and tea leaves. Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter onto cooled cake; sprinkle with sugar mixture, gently pressing to adhere. Best served same day as made. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
PRO TIP
You can bake this cake in any 10-cup Bundt pan.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
The London Fog cake was amazing! I made it right after I got my issue. There is nothing I would change about the recipe; it is perfect just as is. I used Murchie’s Cream Earl Grey Tea that I order in from Canada. The lemon and orange zest are a perfect complement to the tea. The recipe is easy to follow and easy to make. I only had 2% milk on-hand and it did not seem to affect the recipe, Everyone that had the london fog cake loved it!
Delicious. ! Made 2 5-cup Bundt cakes.
well except that I screwed up the topping and blended the butter with the sugar and tea (which by the way made a real foggy looking topping) the cake is delicious as written. I did line my bundt pan with butter and sugar which gave it a bit of a carmelized glaze but only because I don’t own cooking spray and had to bake it before I went shopping. Great cake and a wonder that the tea flavor actually shines through!! So often the tea adds nothing!! (Used Harney’s Earl Grey. )