Plenty of fragrant orange zest and tea leaves infuse this gluten free Earl Grey tea cake with bright flavor. This unique cake needs just two gluten-free flours plus a few other simple ingredients to make.
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. Finish it with a little lemon glaze or salted caramel frosting for extra oomph.
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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.
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 mea,l 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
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, so 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.
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 the 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.
More Gluten Free Quick Bread Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this gluten free Earl Grey tea cake, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Gluten Free Earl Grey Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat flour (160 grams)
- ½ cup almond flour (60 grams)
- 1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest from 1 large orange
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk at room temperature
Instructions
- Grease a standard loaf pan or 8-inch round cake pan with butter and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 ½ cups oat flour and ½ cup almond flour, 1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt.
- In a large bowl, rub the 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest into the 1 cup granulated sugar until the oils release into the sugar. Then beat in the ½ cup unsalted butter and continue beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the 2 large eggs one at a time and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture and ½ cup whole milk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Let the batter rest while the oven heats.
- Place in the oven and bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
Notes
- 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, so 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.
Nutrition
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Luna says
Great recipe!!
Do you think it would be possible to make it vegan by using flax eggs instead of eggs and coconut oil instead of butter?
TIA!
Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi! You can definitely use coconut oil. I haven't tried it w/ flax eggs but I think it might work? Let me know if you give it a try!
Lena says
Thanks for this amazing recipe!!!!!!!!!! I love how the oat and almond flour combo gives this cake the perfect texture! It's moist and soft, but not too dense!!
I used lemon instead of orange and I brewed the tea in the milk and let it cool down before mixing with the other ingredients.
Looking forward to trying it with other tea flavours!!
Nicole Spiridakis says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
michelle says
Hi, I'm currently making this recipe and in the instructions you say to add butter and CREAM, but in the list of ingredients cream is not there....? Is this an error or is cream a part of the recipe?
Also your photo shows a loaf cake but in the instructions you say to use an 8" pan...45 mins to bake an 8" pan seems very long...?
Please advise
Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi - I updated the recipe to make it more clear ("cream" was meant as "to cream"). You can do a loaf pan or a cake pan, it's a dense cake so will take a bit longer to bake.