Nicky Corbishly's Earl Grey Bundt Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

300g caster sugar

2 tsp Earl Grey loose tea

300g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon salt

225g unsalted butter, softened

11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs

120ml Earl Grey milk*

120ml buttermilk

Brown Butter Icing:

75g unsalted butter

175g icing sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

45ml Earl Grey milk*

Decoration:

1 tbsp Earl Grey loose tea (optional – it’s a little bitter, so you can leave off if preferred)

Purple decorative flowers (such as cornflower petals, violets or purple pansies)

Preheat the oven to CircoTherm 165C and grease a 23cm/9” bundt tin.

Place 3 tbsp of the sugar, along with the loose tea leaves in a blender and pulse until the tea leaves turn to powder.

Place the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix together. This is your dry mix.

In a separate bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the butter, Earl Grey sugar and remaining sugar until pale and creamy.

Add the vanilla extract, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time.

With the whisk on slow, add in a third of the flour, followed by a third of the Earl Grey infused milk and a third of the buttermilk. Repeat twice more until all the flour, Earl Grey infused milk and buttermilk has been added.

Pour the mixture into the prepared bundt tin and place in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Take out of the oven, and let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

When the cake has cooled, make the icing.

Place the butter in a pan and melt over a medium heat. Continue to heat, stirring occasionally until the butter starts to brown and release a slightly nutty aroma. You’ll notice little speckles in the butter. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and 2 tbsp of the Earl Grey milk. Whisk together to form a thick icing. Add more Earl Grey milk if needed.

Drizzle the icing over the top so it runs down the sides.

Sprinkle with the loose tea if using and decorate with edible flowers

*To make the Earl Grey milk, add 1 ½ tsp of Earl Grey loose tea to 220ml of milk (you need 165ml of Earl Grey milk altogether for this recipe, but some of it will evaporate and some will soak into the tea leaves), heat until almost boiling, then turn off the heat and steep for 10 minutes. Sieve to remove the tea leaves and leave to cool to room temperature. 120ml of this will be for the cake, 45ml will be for the icing.