Becky Krystal
THE WASHINGTON POST – To say I like tea is an understatement. The top shelf of my pantry at home is precariously stacked with tins and pouches to the point that it resembles a game of Tetris (tea-tris?). Anyone who takes me up on my offer of a pot of tea at the office is first treated to a restaurant-style rundown of all the options at my desk.
So I always enjoy a recipe that helps me make a dent in my supply or appreciate it in ways other than sipping.
You can imagine my delight when I spotted this earl grey tea cake in Polina Chesnakova’s book Everyday Cake, a motto for my life if I ever heard one.
But unlike another recipe I’ve shared, Mary Berry’s Orange Tea Bread, this one relies on leaves rather than brewed tea.
I was particularly intrigued because earl grey happens to be my favourite variety, featuring black tea leaves flavoured with oil of bergamot, a fragrant citrus fruit native to Italy. The cake gets an extra boost of brightness from orange or lemon zest. The end result is a flavour as delicate as the crumb in this tender, light loaf topped with a crackling layer created by sprinkling the batter with sugar right before baking.
The ethereal texture is created by a method that more resembles a sponge cake than the denser quick breads we tend to make in loaf pans. It starts by whipping cream. Then you beat together eggs and sugar until they’re voluminous and pale, also knowns as reaching the “ribbon phase”.
Gradually beat in the oil, and fold in the flour, then the whipped cream. Take care not to knock out too much air, and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.
During baking and cooling, you’ll have plenty of time to pore over your tea pairing options and put the kettle on. Seriously, don’t rush it – you can mar this delicate cake by removing it from the pan and slicing too soon. But just like the beverage it’s named after, every minute spent slowing down to prepare and savor this treat is a minute worth spending.
EARL GREY TEA CAKE
Because of the prolonged mixing at high speeds, we prefer making this with a stand mixer. If you need to use a hand mixer, pick a bowl with high sides and be prepared for an arm workout.
If you have another favourite black tea, feel free to substitute it for the earl grey.
INGREDIENTS
- Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
- Scant one-and-a-half-cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- One-and-a-half teaspoons baking powder
- Generous half teaspoon fine salt
- Half cup cold heavy cream
- Three large eggs, at room temperature
- One cup plus two tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- Four teaspoons (three to five bags) Earl grey tea leaves (if using loose-leaf tea, crush it well)
- One-and-a-half teaspoons finely grated lemon or orange zest
- One-and-a-half vanilla extract
- Quarter cup neutral oil, such as canola or safflower
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with butter and dust all sides with flour, tapping out any excess.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until medium-firm peaks form (if you dip the whisk into the whipped cream and pull it out, you should see a tip that holds its shape fairly well but still droops a little), three to five minutes.
Scrape the whipped cream into a small bowl and refrigerate.
Wipe down the mixer bowl, then, still with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until the mixture is very thick and pale, five to six minutes. When you lift the whisk out, thick ribbons will drizzle off and sit on top of the batter for a few seconds before dissolving. Add the tea leaves, zest and vanilla, and mix briefly on high speed until just combined.
Reduce the speed to low, and with the mixer running, gradually pour in the oil, mixing until just incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
Using a silicone spatula, fold the flour mixture into the batter in three additions until just combined. Fold in a third of the chilled whipped cream to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whipped cream until just combined.
Gently scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top and spreading it into the corners. Sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted at an angle from the edge toward the center comes out clean (because of the sprinkled sugar, the top bakes up firm, making it hard to test in the centre), 45 to 50 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes before running a butter knife around the edges and turning the cake out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.
