Inspired by a Donut

Ever since we were in Vancouver and had the Earl Grey Donut with Black Currant I've been dreaming of it. I'd already planned on making an earl grey cake next and the market near us so happened to be selling pints of black currants- Fate! This cake was delicious. The color and flavor of the berries was so lovely and the earl grey cake just took cake to another level. I had a lot of fun drizzling the pattern onto the cake, I'll have to try this again with other summer berry flavors!

Earl Grey Cake:

1 cup milk

1 1/2 tbs earl grey tea

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp ground earl grey tea (grind with a mortal and pestle)

12 tbs butter; room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1   preheat oven to 350 degrees F and then butter and flour 2 - 8" cake pans

2   over medium heat bring the milk to a gentle boil and add in the 1 1/2 tbs tea, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 7-10 more minutes. Strain out earl grey tea and set the infused milk aside

3   in a bowl mix flour, powder, salt, sugar, ground tea.

4   beat in butter, vanilla, and infused milk only until ingredients are incorporated

5   then beat in eggs until incorporated

6   distribute batter between the cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, a toothpick should come out clean. Set cakes aside to cool

Earl Grey Tea & Lavender Frosting:

1 1/2 cup butter; room temp

6 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp earl grey ; ground 

1 tsp lavender buds ; ground

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 tsp almond extract

4-6 tbs milk

1   beat butter until light and fluffy

2   slowly beat in powdered sugar a cup at a time

3   add in milk 1 tbs at a time until it reaches desired consistency

4   add in earl grey, lavender, and extracts and beat well

Black Currant Glaze & Filling:

1 pint black currants

2 tbs sugar

2 tbs water

1/2-1 cup powdered sugar

1   place all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil

2   lower the heat and put on a lid, cook until the berries burst - about 7 minutes

3   remove from heat and push them through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, stems and skins

4   let cool and then mix in 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Continue adding powdered sugar until it is of desired consistency, you want to be able to pipe it onto the cake

I also filled the inside layer of the cake with the glaze