Without heavy spices, but rather with notes of citrus, this tea-infused dessert is the perfect accompaniment to a pumpkin and cream cheese sweet.
By Dianna Muscari
I came up with this recipe in case there are other folks out there who just can’t get on board with nutmeg and cloves and allspice. No potpourri here, just the fragrant scent of Earl Grey tea, a new favorite of mine. 
It took me a while to become a tea person, to be honest. I used to love the idea of tea but didn’t really care for the stuff itself. Then I started buying different kinds to sample whenever I’d come across ones that seemed particularly appealing. Now, I’ve developed a taste for tea {specifically chai or fruity herbal blends} and a major collection that I love to overwhelm friends with when they come over.
Earl Grey has such an aromatic quality to it since it’s made with bergamot, an extract that comes from citrus. And you know me. I love anything citrusy. It doesn’t scream “orange” or “lemon”, but has such a pleasant fragrance that I’m not sure which I enjoy more: Sipping it or letting my nose linger above the cup.
The flavor goes surprisingly well with pumpkin, as I found when I combined the two in this snack cake. This super-moist cake doesn’t even need any frosting, but hey, why not gild the lily while we’re at it, right? Can you really go wrong with tea-scented cream cheese frosting? I think not.
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Early Grey Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Yield: 9 1x
Description
Without heavy spices, but rather with notes of citrus, this tea-infused dessert is the perfect accompaniment to a pumpkin and cream cheese sweet. Adapted from Dixie Crystals
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk {I used almond milk}
- 2 Earl Grey tea bags
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Scant 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Earl Grey Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 Earl Grey tea bag
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. {I just use my Misto filled with olive oil.} Set aside
- Heat milk to steaming and steep tea bags in it for about 5 minutes. When finished steeping, squeeze out the tea bags carefully with the back of a spoon to get maximum flavor from each bag.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a small bowl, beat together eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree and vegetable oil until thoroughly combined.
- Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined {make sure there aren’t any lumps but don’t overmix}.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for about 40 minutes.* Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- You may want to check for doneness at 30 or 35 minutes, but it took closer to 40-45 in my oven. This cake is very moist and did not have a crumbly texture for me, but had I left it in a little longer it may have created more of a crumb.
Frosting
- Heat milk to steaming; steep tea bag in milk for about 5 minutes. When finished steeping, squeeze out the tea bag carefully with the back of a spoon to get maximum flavor. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until mostly smooth. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until incorporated.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of tea-steeped milk. Add vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. {If the consistency is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add some more milk.}
- Frost cooled cake completely. Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish, if desired. Slice and serve.
- Category: Dessert
I made this today to take to some friends’ house for a board game night. I doubled the recipe and made it into a bundt cake. Worked great and was DELICIOUS! I was really surprised at how much the tea flavor came through. YUM! Thanks for the recipe. –Gina
I have made this twice for food days at work. The first time I followed the recipe. The second time I used unsweetened apple sauce in place of the oil. It made it a bit lighter but still very moist. People love it and several asked for the recipe. I’m trying it in cupcake form for Thanksgiving.
going out to get pumpkin (can) this looks like great cake also looking for boston cream pie and lemon pie receipts love trying new receipts thank you