Plenty of fragrant orange zest and tea leaves infuse this gluten free Earl Grey cake with bright flavor. This unique cake needs just two gluten-free flours plus a few other simple ingredients to make.

Easy Gluten Free Earl Grey Cake

How about a slice of cake with your tea? Even better, how about a delicate little cake that has tea leaves folded right into the batter? This gorgeous gluten-free Earl Grey cake bakes up unbelievably light and fluffy and is infused with Earl Grey tea to give it its distinctive flavor. Bake this as a loaf cake as shown in the photos, or make it into a round cake and top it with vanilla frosting. Oat and almond flour in the right proportions work together to create a cake you’d never know is gluten-free.

Why You’ll Love It

I love a strong cup of Earl Grey tea with a healthy dollop of milk and a spoonful of sugar. this cake takes the flavors of my favorite cuppa and tucks them into a gluten-free cake that is perfect at tea time – or any time! Here are the highlights:

Texture. The beautifully sturdy crumb of this gluten-free tea cake makes it stand out. Yet it’s never dry, as some gluten-free cakes can be, and lasts for up to a week in the fridge.
Flavor. You’ll note the delicate tea flavor from the Earl Grey, but the orange zest provides a whiff of citrus to balance out the sweetness of the cake.
Gluten-Free. Yes, this is such an easy gluten-free cake! Whole grain oat flour gives the cake structure while fine ground almond flour adds a bit of moisture.

Ingredients for earl grey cake are shown: oat flour, almond flour, eggs, orange, tea, milk, butter, and sugar.

What You’ll Need To Make Earl Grey Cake

I’ve outlined what you’ll need for this cake below. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card lower down.

Butter – I prefer unsalted butter in baking recipes so that it doesn’t compete with the sweetness of the dessert
Oat flour – Whole grain oat flour is a wonderful choice for this cake
Almond flour – Almond flour rather than almond meal will make for a lighter cake
Earl Grey tea leaves – You can add another packet of tea leaves if you wish to have an even stronger flavor.
Baking powder
Salt – I always use fine-grain sea salt in my recipes
Granulated sugar
Orange zest – I like to use an organic orange
Eggs – Use large eggs
Milk – Whole milk brings richness to the cake, but 2% is fine, too

How to Make Gluten-Free Earl Grey Tea Cake

Prepare: Grease a loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
Make dry mix: Whisk together the oat and almond flour, tea leaves, baking powder, and salt.
Cream butter: Rub the orange zest into the sugar, then add the butter and cream. Add eggs, then beat in the flour and milk in three additions.
Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F., place the batter in the pan, and rest it while the oven heats. Bake for 45 minutes, then cool on a rack.

A side view of slices of earl grey cake.

Tips and Substitution Suggestions

A few tips plus substitution options outlined below will guide you through making this cake:

Rub the zest into the sugar – This little trick works beautifully for all cakes made with citrus zest! When you rub the zest into the sugar, the oils are released, giving your batter even more flavor and fragrance.
Rest the batter – Make sure to rest the batter while the oven preheats so that the gluten-free flours hydrate. This will result in a better crumb.
Bring ingredients to room temperature – Let the ingredients sit on the counter a bit before you use them in the recipe. They will incorporate better into the batter if you take this step.
Oat flour substitute – Substitute an equivalent amount of sorghum flour by weight for the oat flour.
Almond flour substitute – Swap tiger nut flour or another nut flour of your choice, or try teff flour by weight.
To make dairy-free – Use melted coconut oil in place of the butter and your favorite non-dairy milk in place of the whole milk.
Make refined sugar-free – Use coconut sugar in place of the granulated sugar.
Go less sweet – This cake is plenty sweet with 1 cup of sugar in the batter that I don’t add a glaze. You can reduce the sugar by ¼ cup to cut down on the sugar a bit.
Try lemon zest – Instead of the orange zest, add lemon zest to the batter.
Add chocolate – Add 1 cup of chopped, bittersweet chocolate to the cake.
Top with frosting – Bake the batter in an 8-inch cake round, then, when cooled top it with a cream cheese or vanilla frosting for a fancier presentation.

Slices of earl grey cake on plates on a white background.

Storage Options

This lovely cake has staying power, especially when you store it properly. Here’s how to do it:

Counter – Cover the cake tightly or place it in an airtight container and store it on the counter for up to 3 days.
Fridge – The cake will last longer in the fridge. Cover it cake tightly or place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freezer – Wrap the whole cake in plastic, then foil, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or, wrap individual slices of cake in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer. Make sure to thaw the cake in the fridge before serving.

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