Lemon and Earl Grey tea loaf with cream cheese glaze

This Sunday is a special day for many families. It’s a day where many of us (officially) celebrate and show appreciation for the mothers in our lives. It’s a day to set aside to spend with mum, whatever that might mean for you and your family.

In recognition of this special day I wanted to create a cake that drew inspiration from the mothers and mother figures I know. I thought of the friends who have recently become new mothers, the colleagues raising young families and, of course, my own mum.

My mum is efficient and no nonsense. A cake made for my mum couldn’t be anything too fussy or too complex. Mum simply wouldn’t stand for that. The cake would have to be simple, quick and delicious. It would have to use as many common pantry ingredients as possible, none of this fancy rubbish. And it would have to involve, in some way, tea.

My mum starts and ends her day with a cup of tea. For my mum, tea is for relaxing, for celebrating and for commiserating. It’s the beverage to have a laugh over and the beverage to have a cry over. When in doubt, have a cup of tea.

This recipe is (I hope) everything my mum would approve of. It can be whipped up for a Mother’s Day morning or afternoon tea without too much fuss or effort. While Earl Grey tea can be quite a strong flavour, in this cake, it is light, delicate and complimented perfectly by the lemon zest. This cake is, of course, best enjoyed with a steaming mug of your favourite tea.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon and Earl Grey tea loaf

2 Earl Grey tea bags

180ml whole milk

200g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

100g unsalted butter (softened)

200g caster sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp of vanilla bean paste

Zest of one lemon

Cream cheese glaze

50g of unsalted butter (softened)

50g of cream cheese (softened)

100g of icing sugar

1 tsp of vanilla bean paste

2 tsp of whole milk

Juice of half a lemon

How to make the lemon and earl grey loaf

1. Preheat your oven to 180◦
2. Grease a loaf tin.
3. Place the milk in a small saucepan with the tea bags. Heat slowly until the milk is almost boiled. Set aside for 15 minutes to infuse, then remove the tea bags.
4. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
6. Add the caster sugar to the butter. Cream for 3 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
7. Slowly add the vanilla bean paste, lemon zest and eggs to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined.
8. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the Earl Grey milk infusion until combined.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out of the centre of the cake clean. Set aside to cool.

How to make the cream cheese glaze and assemble

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add the sugar, vanilla bean paste, milk and lemon juice. Mix until smooth and pourable.
3. When the cake is cool, pour the glaze on top of the cake.
4. Enjoy a slice (or two) with a cup of tea!

We have some fantastic tea companies in Canberra so if you want to support local then check out Adore Tea, Real Chai, Tea Garden Co. and Endeavour Tea. On behalf of the Eat Canberra team we would like to wish all of the amazing mums out there (including our own) a very happy Mother’s Day! We hope you eat lots of delicious food, spend time with loved ones and find some time to put your feet up and relax (with a slice of one of Amy’s creations). 

About the author:

Amy Alyce is a Canberra based dessert blogger with a passion for brunch. By day she works as a lawyer, by night she writes recipes for her love project Blossom and Pearl. Follow Amy on Instagram at @blossomandpearl for dessert recipes and inspo!