Name: Lavender Earl Grey Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs (room temperature); 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 6 tbsp vegetable oil; 1/2 cup buttermilk ((see note)); 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour ((160g)); 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder; ¼ tsp baking soda; 3 bags Lavender Earl Grey Tea ((see note)); 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional); zest of one lemon; 2 tbsp honey; 2 cups powdered sugar ((240g)); 2-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or as needed)

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Last Updated on January 8, 2021 by Chenée Lewis

I love this cake! This single-layer lavender Earl Grey cake is full of rich earl grey flavor with hints of lavender, lemon, and buttermilk. It’s topped with a glossy honey lemon icing, and best of all, it’s so easy to make!

A recipe like this lavender Earl Grey cake sounds complicated — you might think you have to use fresh lavender flowers or infuse whole leaf tea. But it actually couldn’t be simpler! It’s actually a simple vanilla cake recipe, with tea leaves right in the batter to give it that distinctive Earl Grey flavor without any extra time!

This lavender Earl Grey cake would be perfect for a casual dessert, a springtime tea party with friends. Maybe even for a low-key baby shower! The flavors are perfect and just make you think spring!

What does Earl Grey taste like?

This lavender Earl Grey cake is made with Earl Grey tea, which is a black tea flavored with bergamot, a type of citrus fruit. If you’re not already a die-hard Earl Grey fan like me, you will be. It’s DELICIOUS. It’s a very distinctive flavor, and a delicious variation on a standard black tea. Plus, the citrus and tea flavors together work very well in baked goods, ranging from cakes and cookies to ice cream!

For this cake, I used the type of Earl Grey that I buy to drink, which is Twinings Lavender Earl Grey (affiliate link). It has the bright, citrusy flavor of bergamot, along with the soothing scent of lavender. I love the blend of a classic flavor with slight floral note! So I knew that it would be perfect in this easy Earl Grey cake. But if you have another type of tea you prefer, I’m sure it would complement these flavors well! If you do try a different tea for this lavender Earl Grey cake, share that in the comments so we can try it out!

To give this lavender Earl Grey cake its tea flavor, you’ll just need to open your tea bags and stir the leaves into the batter. The smaller the tea leaves are the better, so if need be you can chop them a little before adding them.

Ingredients

eggs – your eggs should be room temperature to achieve the best fluffy texture in this lavender Earl Grey cake.
granulated sugar – adds a light sweetness to your cake batter.
vanilla extract – definitely look for a high-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
vegetable oil – using oil instead of butter in this cake keeps the baking process easy and keeps our cake moist!
buttermilk – adds even more of that moist texture and tangy flavor.
all-purpose flour – be sure that you measure out your flour using either the spoon-and-level method or (even better) a food scale to measure by weight. Both will help you get the right amount of flour, but using a food scale to measure out 160 grams.
baking powder and baking soda – these help to give our cake a lift!
lavender Earl Grey tea – I use Twinings Lavender Earl Grey for this recipe, but you can use any Earl Grey you prefer and add in a half teaspoon of lavender extract.
salt – balances out the sweetness the batter.

Honey-Lemon Glaze

zest of one lemon
2 tbsp honey
2 cups powdered sugar – (240g)
2-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice – or as much as you need to get the right consistency

Equipment

You’ll need an 8-inch cake pan for this recipe, but otherwise it’s a simple bowl-and-whisk cake recipe!

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Step by Step

This cake is so easy! It’s a one bowl recipe that you can whisk together in just a few minutes!

First, you’ll mix together your wet ingredients: Eggs, sugar, and vanilla, followed by the oil and buttermilk.
Then just fold in your dry ingredients: Flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and tea leaves.
Then just pour it into your pan and bake!

It’s that simple! And it’s a single layer cake, which is my favorite type of easy cake to whip up for a casual occasion. So go ahead and get baking!

Related Recipes

If you like this easy lavender Earl Grey cake, then you definitely will want to try another quick and easy single-layer cake recipe, my Pineapple Upside-Down Cake! It’s full of that caramelized pineapple flavor and it’s SO quick and easy!

You also might like my Orange Rosemary Olive Oil Cake — like this lavender Earl Grey cake, it’s got bright, citrus flavors, and it’s made in the same 8-inch cake pan! So easy!

pineapple upside-down cake — Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Lavender Earl Grey Cake

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A lavender Earl Grey tea cake recipe with Earl Grey lavender tea in the cake batter, and topped with a honey-lemon glaze! Perfect Earl Grey cake for any occasion!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Course: Dessert, Tea

Cuisine :American, British

Servings: slices

Calories: 415kcal

Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis

Equipment you may need

8-inch round cake pans

whisk

measuring cups and spoons