If you’re a black tea drinker, you’ve probably had your fair share of Earl Grey. Its bergamot orange notes are totally irresistible to me, and while I love it as-is, it’s even better made into a London Fog (aka a delicious Earl Grey tea latte). When I was thinking about cozy cold-weather cake flavors, this delicious combo came to mind – aromatic Earl Grey tea infused cake paired with a creamy vanilla Earl Grey frosting. It’s essentially a London Fog in cake form and I couldn’t be more satisfied with it!
What is a London Fog?
A London Fog is essentially a vanilla-sweetened Earl Grey tea latte with foamy milk. To make it, you steep some quality Earl Grey tea, add some vanilla syrup (or your favorite sweetener with a little vanilla extract), and top it off with some foamy milk. The name ‘London Fog’ comes from the effect of the foamy milk hitting the black tea and creating a cloud-like plume, resembling a foggy London afternoon. But while it sounds like the drink originated in England, it actually comes from Canada!
The Perfect London Fog Flavor in Cake Form
Creating this warm and comfy London Fog flavor in cake form begins with the magic of steeping. You’ll add some loose leaf Earl Grey tea into a pot of milk and bring it to a boil, then steep the tea to infuse the milk with the flavor. After straining out the tea leaves, you’re left with Earl Grey milk that you’ll use to flavor both the cake and the buttercream.
Let’s talk about these London Fog cake layers. Not only are they infused with Earl Grey milk, they also have loose leaf Earl Grey tea added right into the batter. This creates a lovely flecked appearance but also enhances the tea flavor, adding just the right amount. These layers are also super moist with the addition of sour cream and have a beautifully soft crumb due to the cake flour.
The Earl Grey buttercream is flavored with a few tablespoons of the Earl Grey milk and an extra dose of vanilla to amplify the London Fog vibe. It’s super smooth and creamy, and when paired with the cake, creates the perfect flavor experience. If you’re a Earl Grey tea lover, you will be in heaven with this cake.
London Fog Cake Decorating Details
After filling and crumb coating the London Fog cake with the Earl Grey buttercream, I decided to add some texture to the final coating of frosting with a scalloped cake comb. I knew I wanted to top the cake with a salted caramel drip as a finishing touch, and the scalloped buttercream was such a beautiful backdrop for it.
I made a half batch of my favorite salted caramel recipe for the drip and decided to use it on half of the cake (aka a half drip). Although salted caramel is not traditionally part of a London Fog, it adds just a little hit of sweet complexity to the whole cake. If you’re not a salted caramel fan or you don’t feel like making it, feel free to omit it. The cake and buttercream are the real stars of this show.
After the salted caramel half drip set, I used the rest of the Earl Grey buttercream to pipe stars in a crescent formation following the drip as a guide for the beginning and end. I used Wilton Tip 4B for all of the star piping. To finish it all off, I sprinkled some loose leaf Earl Grey tea on top. Simple and beautiful!
This London Fog cake is best enjoyed on a cozy cold day surrounded by friends while the rain patters softly against the window. Ok, that sounds extra romantic so if you can’t have that setting it also tastes amazing any old day, even if you’re enjoying it for breakfast on a day where all you have planned is lounging in your pajamas. Whatever the scene, I hope you love this one as much as I do!
London Fog Cake
Ingredients
Earl Grey Milk
- 1 1/3 Cups (315ml) whole milk
- 1 Tbsp (2g) Earl Grey tea, loose leaf
London Fog Cake
- 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Earl Grey tea, finely ground
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 Cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) Earl Grey milk, room temperature (recipe above)
Earl Grey Buttercream
- 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 1/4 Cups (630g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp (45ml) Earl Grey Milk, room temperature (recipe above)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Salted Caramel Drip (Optional)
- 1/2 Cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp (43g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
Garnish
- 2 tsp Earl Grey tea, loose leaf
Instructions
Make the Earl Grey Milk
- Bring the milk and tea to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Turn the heat off and steep for 10 minutes. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the tea leaves from the milk and be sure to press all the liquid out from the leaves.
- After straining, reserve 3 Tbsp (45ml) of the Earl Grey milk for the buttercream recipe. After this, you should be left with 1 Cup (240 ml) of Earl Grey milk for the cake recipe. If you end up with less, top it up with more whole milk to measure out 1 Cup (240 ml) exactly. If you end up with more, discard the extra Earl Grey milk and measure out exactly 1 Cup. Let the Earl Grey milk cool to room temperature before using it in the recipes.
Make the London Fog Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177ºF. Prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a baking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground Earl Grey tea, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at high speed for about 2 minutes, until it is creamy. Add the sugar and mix the ingredients at medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl and paddle at the halfway point. Decrease the mixer’s speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until they are just combined and scraping the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla, increase the mixer’s speed to high and beat the ingredients for 1 minute.
- With the mixer in the off position, add in the dry ingredients all at once. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until just combined, then add the (room temperature!) Earl Grey milk mixture in a slow steady steam and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling.
Make the Earl Grey Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (a hand mixer works fine too!), cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light in color, about 5 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add the Earl Grey milk, vanilla, and salt. Continue mixing on low speed until fully combined and smooth, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
Make the Salted Caramel Drip (Optional)
- Have everything pre-measured and ready to go (you’ll be constantly stirring). Place the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until it melts into an amber-colored liquid and no sugar clumps remain, 4-5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the butter (it will bubble up when you do) and use a whisk to combine it with the sugar mixture until the butter is fully melted and incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Add the heavy whipping cream in a steady stream while whisking. As soon as the cream is incorporated, let the caramel boil for a full minute before removing it from the heat and stirring in the salt. Let the salted caramel come to slightly above room temperature before dripping the cake in Step 3 of the Assembly instructions below.
Assembly
- Once the London Fog cakes are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of Earl Grey buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Fill and stack the cake with Earl Grey buttercream, then crumb coat the cake with Earl Grey buttercream. Place the crumb coated cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
- To create the design pictured, reserve about 1/4 Cup of the remaining Earl Grey buttercream for the piping on top of the cake, then use the rest of the buttercream to frost the cake. Use a cake comb to create the scalloped texture, then place the cake in the refrigerator for another 30+ minutes to let the frosting firm up.
- Once the frosting is cold and firm to the touch, make sure the salted caramel (if using) is slightly above room temperature, then place it into a piping bag. Snip off the end of the piping bag and create the drip halfway around the cake. Place the salted caramel dripped cake back into the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to let the drip set.
- Place all of the remaining Earl Grey buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 4B. Pipe buttercream stars on top of the cake in a crescent formation using the salted caramel drip as your guide for beginning and ending the piping. Finish the look by sprinkling loose leaf Earl Grey tea on top of the piping.
Notes
- The Earl Grey milk can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days ahead. Bring it back to room temperature when you’re ready to use it in the cake and buttercream recipes.
- The London Fog cake layers can be baked ahead and stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively you can store the cakes in the freezer for up to two months.
- The Earl Grey buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix in your stand mixer to bring it back to smooth buttercream consistency.
I hope you fall head over heels for this London Fog cake like I have! Let me know what you think in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram if you post a pic. I love to see what you create!
Hi! This cake is one of my favorites and I plan on making it for a friend’s birthday. Do you have any tips on adjusting the recipe to fit three 9-inch pans? I’m not sure if I should just double it and hope for the best or if you have any ideas. Thanks!
So happy you love this recipe, Reoyn! This recipe works as-is for three 9-inch pans if you’re okay with slightly shorter layers (about 1 inch tall). You may need to decrease the baking time and start checking for doneness at the 25 minute mark if you go that route. If you want taller layers I would suggest making 1.5x the recipe and filling the pans no more than 2/3 full. You may have a little extra batter left over. Hope that helps!
Absolutely delicious! You can taste the tea in every fluffy, airy bite and the buttercream was perfect.
Yay, Mariam! So happy you love this recipe!
For the Earl Grey cake, is it 1 tablespoon vanilla in the buttercream? It sounds like a lot.
Hi Suzy! Yes, 1 Tbsp of vanilla is correct for the amount of buttercream this recipe makes (enough to fill and frost the cake).
Hi! What’s the best way to grind tea finely?
Hi Suzy! Mortar and pestle or just chop the leaves as finely as you can, add them into a ziploc bag and go over it with a rolling pin a few times to squeeze out some of the essential oils.