It’s Tuesday, but it feels a bit more like a Monday, right? Well, actually to be honest I’m lost as to what day it is most days of the week. Lately they’ve been blurring together a bit. With the long weekend behind us, I hope you guys are feeling refreshed and excited for the short week ahead. I also hope you’re ready for some baking because we obviously have some cake to chat about. I figured we did tacos yesterday, so with snow set to fall all week long, Tuesday afternoon baking just felt so very right. Plus, it’s been a while since I’ve done a Tuesday baking recipe. This week just felt like a nice week to bring a sweeter Tuesday recipe back! So here we are…and with a cake you might not expect out of me (because we all know that I really love a good chocolate cake).
The background Story.
The funny thing about this recipe? I actually really dislike tea. I can do a hibiscus tea, but pretty much all warm teas make me gag. I know, I know, so weird. Trust me, I want to love a mug of green tea or that cup of chamomile tea, but I just can get it down. Maybe with some persistence I could learn to like it, but I’ve never given it too much of a shot. Tea just is not my favorite. That said, I do love the flavors that are abundant throughout a lot of teas. Chai tea is cinnamon spice and everything nice. It’s probably my favorite flavor to incorporate into fall and winter desserts (do you remember my chai latte cupcakes?). And Chamomile pairs so wonderfully with honey. I often use it in spring and summer desserts (like this strawberry chamomile naked cake). And then there is earl grey, the warming tea that reminds me most of winter. I haven’t done as much with earl grey as I have with chai and chamomile, but it’s still a flavor I love. It’s a British black tea, typically flavored with oil from the rind of a bergamot orange, a citrus fruit with the appearance and flavor somewhere between an orange and a lemon with a little grapefruit and lime thrown in. Way back in the day I shared an earl grey blueberry muffin in the original HBH cookbook. Last year I made earl grey citrusy pancakes. This winter I drew inspiration from those original blueberry muffins…and now we’re talking blueberry earl grey cake.
Here are the details.
The first step is to steep the tea in milk. I used whole goat milk, but you can also use coconut milk or any nut-based milk you enjoy. Ideally something creamy with a higher fat content like canned coconut milk or Malk organic nut milk (this is my favorite brand of nut milk). While the tea is steeping, get together all the ingredients you need. Once the tea has steeped in the milk, the rest of the cake comes together quickly. Cream some butter with lots of lemon and orange zest and a touch of sugar. Then add eggs and a splash of cream. Once all the wet ingredients have been mixed. Simply beat in the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Add the steeped milk and then stir in lots of blueberries. If you’re low on blueberries, pretty much any berry would be great. Layer the batter into a loaf pan. Then add a small handful of berries and finish the cake up with a sprinkling of sugar on top. At this point, it’s time to bake. Like most pound cakes, this takes about an hour in the oven, which is a long time, but well worth the wait.
While the cake bakes, make the glaze.
While the cake is so good on its own (really, it is), the glaze seals the deal (literally) and makes this extra special. The first step is the citrus. I used a Meyer lemon and a blood orange. You can use all lemons too, but I love the color the blood orange adds, so pretty. I zested the fruits with a Y peeler, then thinly sliced the zest into very thin dainty strips. Set the strips aside for a minute and mix the lemon juice together with a little powdered sugar (only just a little) and all the citrus zest. Spoon this over the cake for a truly delicious topping. And that’s it…simple, pretty, perfectly sweet, extra moist, and SO GOOD! Every bite is bursting with sweet blueberries and hinted with lemon and orange. Happiest Tuesday night baking to you all! Hope you guys enjoy this Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake as much as I do! Looking for other wintery sweets? Here are a few to try: 5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake Dirty Horchata Tres Leches Cake Coconut Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting Lastly, if you make this Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
