Earl Grey Loaf Cake

Lately I’ve been immersing myself in old Mind of a Chef episodes. They’re a dangerously short 20ish minutes long that lead me down the slippery binge-watching slope (just ONE more…) yet I have no regrets and am so inspired by these chefs and their approaches to cooking. Steeping decaying leaves to infuse an earthy essence into potatoes? Recreating that thin, early-winter layer of ice that forms on the surface of lakes and incorporating it into a whimsical dessert? Nothing is out of question. In season 1, Christina Tosi bakes some of her desserts from the early Momofuku days. One of those is the Arnold Palmer cake, a layer cake that incorporates dry tea leaves into the cake batter. Earl Grey has always been a favourite and the idea of incorporating it into a cake was hard to forget. The result was moist, floral, and light - enjoy!

Earl Grey Loaf Cake

Makes 1 loaf

1/2 cup buttermilk (a scant 1/2 cup milk + 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar) - I used cashew milk

2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 5 tbsp water)

1+1/2 tbsp earl grey tea leaves, finely ground

1+1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup neutral oil (I used light olive oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 tbsp+1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. 

Make the buttermilk: mix a scant 1/2 cup milk with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, then in a separate bowl make the flax eggs: mix 2 tbsp ground flax with 5 tbsp water, set both aside.

Mix ground earl grey (use a blender or spice mill to finely grind it), flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together oil, buttermilk, vanilla, flax eggs and sugar.

Gradually add wet ingredients to dry, stirring just to combine and being careful not to over-mix. Transfer into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for ~1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Once cake has cooled for about 15 minutes make the glaze: whisk the powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth, then drizzle glaze overtop and serve!