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Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake…sweet lemony almond cake swirled with a mix of fresh blueberries and infused with the warming flavors of earl grey tea for a cozy winter twist. Finish this simple cake with a citrus lemon glaze that’s unique and delicious. Every last crumb is SO GOOD. Enjoy for brunch, as an afternoon snack with a latte, or for dessert with a dollop of whipped cream. Bonus? It’s simpler to make than you’d think, and so very pretty…with very little effort.
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!
Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 374 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3-4 bags earl grey tea
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup almond flour (or 1/2 cup all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon blueberry jam (optional)
Lemon Glaze
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 blood orange (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Bring the milk to a low boil in a small saucepan until steaming. Remove from the heat. Add the tea bags, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard.2. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a (9×5 inch) loaf pan.3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest until combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, then add the vanilla. Add 1 cup flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat to combine. Add the steeped milk, beating until just combined. 4. Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour, then fold in 3/4 cups blueberries.3. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Swirl in the blueberry jam, then Sprinkle on the remaining blueberries and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the center is just set. Let cool before glazing.4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Remove the zest from the blood orange with a vegetable peeler in wide strips. Thinly slice the strips. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, and lemon juice until smooth and drizzly. Stir in the orange zests.5. Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
To Freeze:Â Bake as directed, cool completely, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze in a freezer bag or freezer safe container for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or on the counter for a few hours.Â
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.Â
Storing:Â this cake keeps well for 3-4 days at room temperature.Â
Really yummy even without the blueberry jam. My new go-to blueberry lemon loaf!
Hey Susan,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, it makes me so happy that it was enjoyed. Happy Friday! xTieghan
This was delicious! I wanted to amp up the lemony flavor so I subbed 1tsp lemon extract for one of the tsp’s of vanilla and I added 1/4 of a tsp of lemon extract to the glaze! I also glazed it while it was still slightly warm and pierced it on top a few times with a wooden skewer so that the glaze would sink in- it made it so perfectly moist! So yummy!
Hey Christin,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, it makes me so happy that it was enjoyed. Happy Friday! xTieghan
I went light on some ingredients and still came out good.
Hey Dyanna,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I was so excited to try this recipe (I love all things early grey) and for the most part, it lived up to expectations! The only element that didn’t quite work was the glaze. As others have commented, the ratio of powdered sugar to lemon juice yielded a pretty runny mixture. Something else (which no one has mentioned but was my main issue) – I found the amount of lemon juice in the glaze to be SO overpowering. I even used fresh lemon juice (whereas bottled is usually stronger) so I can’t imagine if I had used bottled. All in all though, will make again and just make some adjustments in the glaze!
Hey Mary,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I am new to your site and this is the first recipe of yours I am trying! My cake is currently in the oven and it smells so good, I can’t wait to try it! Excited to try more of your delicious recipes!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try Taylor!! xTieghan
Tastes amazing. Followed all the directions and was not sure why it browned and became very crunchy on the outside, so as far as a baked good it felt burned. Not sure where it went wrong. Blueberries on top did well. Wish I could take a picture to show result.
Hey there,
So sorry about this, but it sounds like the cake was overcooked? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan,
This coffee cake was like heaven on earth I can’t tell you how much I loved it!! If there was an option to give you more then 5 stars believe me I would have it was that good!! I am a big lover of blueberries and using that blueberry jam put it over the top. I’m positive I will make this over and over again great job thanks for sharing! I gave a piece to a girl friend of mine as well. Sadly, she couldn’t try it because she was doing a cleanse. Her comment was it smelled delicious and she gave it to her two kids to try. The verdict were two thumbs up they said it was amazing!! I’d expect nothing less from you asl your recipes are my favorite 🙂
Hey Mike,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am delighted that the recipe was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
I made this for my family and they loved it! Your glaze looks white and so pretty. My glaze comes out more clear. I followed the recipe but it doesn’t look the same – do you know why that could be? It was still so delicious.
Hey Kaitlyn,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am delighted that the recipe was enjoyed! Try adding a little more powdered sugar next time:) Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Made this with whole wheat flour! It was delicious!!
Thanks for the recipe xx
Hey Ritz,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that the recipe was enjoyed! Have a fantastic weekend! xTieghan
*Update*
I couldn’t figure out how to reply to my original comment above, but thought it was worth updating! Thank you very much for the advice. I ordered a metal loaf pan, but couldn’t wait, so I tried the recipe again in my metal muffin tin and they turned out beautifully!! I also used whole milk instead of coconut milk, so who knows which made the bigger difference ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I followed the recipe to a T, and I can’t speak highly enough of the outcome. I did adjust cooking time for muffins – 25 minutes seemed to be perfect. I also doctored up the glaze just a tad – a touch of blood orange juice (in addition to the zest strips) makes it just the prettiest shade of pink. 🙂 I can’t wait to distribute these to friends and family – they are too delicious and beautiful not to share!
Can’t thank you enough for the helpful tips and for an incredible recipe, as always!
Hey Maggie,
Thanks so much for replying! I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed:) xTieghan
This looks fantastic like all your recipes!! Can I substitute olive oil for the butter? Trying to cut out fat from our diet. Thank you!
Hey Sandi,
Thanks so much! Sorry I have not tested this recipe with olive oil. I would try using a vegan butter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I really like that this isn’t overly-sweet. Perfect for breakfast 😉
As others have said, I really couldn’t taste the Earl Grey, but the lemon and blueberry flavors were perfect. And also – as others have said – my cake was definitely not as vibrant yellow as the pictures. But still delicious!
Hey Bethany,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Hi! I love your recipes so much! I’m not very good at baking, but this just sounded so amazing, I built up the courage to give it a try! It was so close to turning out just perfectly, but I somehow screwed it up. It seemed set after 60 minutes, and then I let it cool in the pan for about 15, but when I went to pull it out of the pan to set on a cooling rack, it just disintegrated. I was heartbroken! But now, I’m determined to get it right. I used a glass Pyrex bread dish – do you think this could have possibly affected it? Maybe it needed a longer cook time in glassware? I used 1/2 cup of full fat coconut milk – should it be cooled to room temperature before adding to the batter? I have a metal muffin tin – saw that a commenter made muffins, so maybe I’ll give that a try. I’m very excited to give it another go – the ghost smells after my failed attempt were just too divine to give up on this one!
Hey Maggie,
So sorry to hear this! I do prefer using a metal loaf pan. The milk does not need to be fulled cooled before adding to the batter, but I have not tested this with coconut milk so that could be the issue. Let me know if the metal pan helps next time! xTieghan
Huge hit and it was gobbled up! Was very moist. I never had earl grey tea before and now I’m a huge fan. For all you Star Trek fans out there, Picard is correct in that as his go to drink.
Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Karen,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Oh,wooow, that is so moisture and yummy cake!!! I used Myple syrup mixed with dates syrup instead of sugar and decorated with fresh flowers. Looks amaaaaZZZing!!!! Tastes deluuuuusioSSS! ??Thanks,Tieghan
Hey Irina,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xTieghan