London Fog Cake
This perfect London fog cake is an extra soft and moist cake flavored with Earl Grey tea and lavender, soaked with sweet Earl Grey lavender milk and frosted with silky lavender vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. It’s so incredibly soft, packed full of Earl Grey and lavender flavor, with the most irresistible texture from the tea milk soak, almost like a tres leches, but not quite as wet. The most perfect tea cake!
Why You’ll Love This London Fog Cake
- Perfectly soft and fluffy Earl Grey cake– This cake is incredibly soft and flavored with finely ground Earl Grey tea, lavender and vanilla bean paste to give it the best London fog flavor. The buttermilk works together in the cake batter with the creamed butter and well mixed eggs to give the cake the most fluffy and lush texture.
- Tea milk soak- we’ll be making a very strong milky Earl Grey using two tablespoons of loose leaf tea (and lavender buds) and just 1/2 cup of milk, then mixing that with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla bean paste. After the cake bakes, it will get poked with small holes, and this delicious mixture will get poured over the cake, allowing it to soak up all that Earl Grey goodness!
- Lavender vanilla bean cream cheese frosting- Adding a bit of finely ground lavender and vanilla bean paste to the cream cheese frosting adds a finishing sweet note to the cake. It’s silky, fluffy and makes each bite of cake just completely melt in your mouth! (I also added a bit of food coloring to the frosting to give it a pretty lavender hue.)
For the full recipe, including measurements, step by step instructions, and bake time, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a brief overview!
Tips for baking a soft and moist Earl Grey cake
Room Temperature Ingredients- You’ll have the best textured cake if you use room temperature ingredients instead of cold. Cold wet ingredients, like eggs and buttermilk, can cause the cake to bake with more of a gummy consistency, and we don’t want that. We want a moist and fluffy cake!
Mixing the Batter- You’ll want to cream the butter and sugar together until pale in color and fluffy, and the eggs should be mixed in until smooth. It’s okay at this point to mix a lot, as we’re adding air into the eggs, helping to give the batter a “lift”. However, mix the dry ingredients on low speed just until they are blended into the wet ingredients to avoid an overly dense cake.
Measuring Your Flour Properly- If you learn anything from making this recipe, please let it be this: measure your flour (and all other ingredients) with a digital kitchen scale. Please don’t bring me to tears; don’t scoop your measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to inaccurate flour measurements and therefore, a wonky bake.
Baking Pan- I recommend using a light colored, metal baking pan. This will help to ensure that the cake gets baked evenly. A glass or dark colored baking pan can cause baking variations, like the cake baking too quickly, being over-baked in some areas, while not baked in others.
A note on lavender, Earl Grey & vanilla bean paste– While I used loose leaf Earl Grey, you can of course use tea bags and cut them to remove the tea leaves. If using tea bags, you can keep them intact for the milk soak steps. (Two tea bags should be around the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea.) Because vanilla is such a prominent flavor component in a London fog, I chose to use vanilla bean paste for this recipe as it has a stronger vanilla flavor than vanilla extract, but vanilla extract will work similarly in the recipe. I really recommend using dried lavender for this recipe, opposed to lavender extract, to ensure a strong lavender flavor. I think a lavender extract could easily get covered up by the strong flavor of Earl Grey tea, whereas real lavender buds compliment the flavor profiles of the tea.
London Fog Cake FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, for three days. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before enjoying for the best texture!
I have been on my own gluten free journey lately and have found that most of my recipes turn out great GF- Hooray! There is a caveat though, I can only say the recipe will come out good with Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour. This is not sponsored, but my true opinion. This is the only gluten free flour I use as it bakes most similarly to regular, all-purpose flour.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make it but mixing 1 cup (240 ml) of whole milk with 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar.
If you make this cake please leave a star review! Also, tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see your creation! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Recipes to Try
London Fog Cake
Ingredients
For the Earl Grey Cake
- 3 tbsp (12 g) Earl Grey tea
- 1 tbsp (2 g) culinary lavender
- 2 1/4 cups (282 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
For the Earl Grey Milk Soak
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 2 tbsp (8 g) Earl Grey tea
- 1/2 tbsp (1 g) culinary lavender
- 1/2 cup (150 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 tbsp (2 g) culinary lavender
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cold
- 2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- purple food coloring (optional)
Instructions
For the Earl Grey Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9 inch light metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
- Add the Earl Grey tea and lavender to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Pass through a sieve to separate any large bits.3 tbsp (12 g) Earl Grey tea, 1 tbsp (2 g) culinary lavender
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, Earl Grey tea, lavender, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.2 1/4 cups (282 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
- Add the softened butter and granulated white sugar to a large bowl. Cream together for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on high speed.10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.3 eggs, at room temperature, 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- Add in the buttermilk and dry ingredients a little bit at a time, mixing on low speed until all is combined and the batter is smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 38-44 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then pull up on the parchment paper to release it from the pan. Let the cake continue cooling on the cooling rack until completely cooled.
For the Earl Grey Milk Soak
- While the cake cools, work on the Earl Grey milk soak. Add the milk to a small sauce pan and heat over low heat until steaming, then add in the Earl Grey tea and lavender. Allow it to steep for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pass the mixture through a sieve and allow the milk to cool.1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk, 2 tbsp (8 g) Earl Grey tea, 1/2 tbsp (1 g) culinary lavender
- Transfer the Earl Grey milk to a liquid measuring cup or something you can easily pour from. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Set aside until ready to use.1/2 cup (150 g) sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the lavender to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Pass through a sieve to separate any large bits.1 tbsp (2 g) culinary lavender
- Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and mix on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Then add in the cream cheese and mix on high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cold
- Sift in the powdered sugar, and add in the lavender and vanilla. Mix on low speed until combined, then on high speed for 1 minute until fluffy again. Add in purple food coloring and mix until combined.2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, purple food coloring (optional)
Assembling the Cake
- When the cake is completely cooled, cut a very thin layer off the top of the cake using a sharp knife. This will make it easier for the Earl Grey milk to absorb into the cake. Transfer it to a serving plate. Poke holes on the top of the cake using a wooden stick or the handle of a wooden spoon.(I used the handle of a honey dipper for smaller holes.)
- Slowly pour the Earl Grey milk mixture on top of the cake. It is thin so it should absorb into the cake and the poked holes easily, but do be patient as it does.
- Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of lavender cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula. Then cut into 16 slices and serve!
This looks amazing! Do you have any suggestions for what egg substitute to use for this recipe? There are a lot of options out there so i thought I’d see what your thoughts were for the best alternative to use in this case. Thanks!
Step 9 is an error. Now I’m stuck with a baked cake and I have to try to figure out what the recipe meant to do. After 15 minutes of holding it just at steaming (I even used a thermometer at 180 degrees F, you are left with less than 2 tablespoons lavender tea milk mixture. The video that brought me to this recipe showed what looked like more than the 1/2 cup in the recipe that it was supposed to start with. Where did the extra volume come from? The first time through a recipe, I follow it exactly. My mistake for assuming this recipe had been glanced over by in bloom bakery before posting it. Now what do I do? How did other people manage to cope with this ineptitude?
Lee the recipe calls for you to bring it to a steam, THEN steep for 15 min. It sounds like you “held it at steam” for 15 min hence evaporating your milk rather than infusing it with flavor by taking it of the heat and allowing it to STEEP for 15 min.
If you’re going to be cruel, at least try to make sure you’re correct first.
I had to leave it in the oven an extra 10 minutes, but this is one of the best things I have ever baked. I will definitely make it again.
Hello! Do you have any tips for doubling this for an event?
These are the measurements for adjusting it to a 9×13 pan from a 9×9 pan, however you could also just double the recipe and bake it a little longer…
Adjusted Ingredients for the Earl Grey Cake
For the Cake:
Earl Grey tea:
3
×
1.44
=
4.32
tbsp
3×1.44=4.32tbsp (~4 1/3 tbsp)
Culinary lavender:
1
×
1.44
=
1.44
tbsp
1×1.44=1.44tbsp (~1 1/2 tbsp)
All-purpose flour:
2.25
×
1.44
=
3.24
cups
2.25×1.44=3.24cups (~3 1/4 cups)
Baking powder:
1.5
×
1.44
=
2.16
tsp
1.5×1.44=2.16tsp (~2 1/8 tsp)
Baking soda:
0.25
×
1.44
=
0.36
tsp
0.25×1.44=0.36tsp (~1/3 tsp)
Salt:
0.5
×
1.44
=
0.72
tsp
0.5×1.44=0.72tsp (~3/4 tsp)
Unsalted butter:
10
×
1.44
=
14.4
tbsp
10×1.44=14.4tbsp (~14 1/2 tbsp or ~1 cup minus 1 1/2 tbsp)
Granulated white sugar:
1.5
×
1.44
=
2.16
cups
1.5×1.44=2.16cups (~2 1/8 cups)
Eggs:
3
×
1.44
=
4.32
3×1.44=4.32 (~4 large eggs plus a little from a 5th egg)
Vanilla bean paste:
1
×
1.44
=
1.44
tbsp
1×1.44=1.44tbsp (~1 1/2 tbsp)
Buttermilk:
1
×
1.44
=
1.44
cups
1×1.44=1.44cups (~1 1/2 cups)
For the Earl Grey Milk Soak:
Whole milk:
0.5
×
1.44
=
0.72
cups
0.5×1.44=0.72cups (~3/4 cup)
Earl Grey tea:
2
×
1.44
=
2.88
tbsp
2×1.44=2.88tbsp (~3 tbsp)
Culinary lavender:
0.5
×
1.44
=
0.72
tbsp
0.5×1.44=0.72tbsp (~3/4 tbsp)
Sweetened condensed milk:
0.5
×
1.44
=
0.72
cups
0.5×1.44=0.72cups (~3/4 cup)
Vanilla bean paste:
0.5
×
1.44
=
0.72
tsp
0.5×1.44=0.72tsp (~3/4 tsp)
For the Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting:
Culinary lavender:
1
×
1.44
=
1.44
tbsp
1×1.44=1.44tbsp (~1 1/2 tbsp)
Unsalted butter:
1
×
1.44
=
1.44
cups
1×1.44=1.44cups (~1 1/2 cups or ~22.5 tbsp)
Cream cheese:
8
×
1.44
=
11.52
oz
8×1.44=11.52oz (~11 1/2 oz)
Powdered sugar:
2
×
1.44
=
2.88
cups
2×1.44=2.88cups (~2 7/8 cups)
Vanilla bean paste:
1
×
1.44
=
1.44
tsp
1×1.44=1.44tsp (~1 1/2 tsp)
Purple food coloring: Adjust as needed.
This came out so well! I used 250 g sugar.
Such a beautiful cake and an easy recipe to follow. I like how the quantity for each ingredient was written in the ingredient list as well as the recipe instructions.
You started well with the conversions, then gave up by the time you reached milk?
also you may as well convert the teaspoons as is the highest standard of accuracy
Intend on making the recipe regardless of your hocus pocus conversions, because it does sound solid
Just wanted to say i converted all the american and baked this recipe thrice, first time excluding the cream cheese frosting- people actually really loved the frosting on the occasion that i made it. It just so happened that the amount of lilac i used was spot-on, it had a lovely effect and looked great on the cake
and the cake! it smells brilliant. I used a food processor then passed through a sieve – basically did a 2:1 EG to lavender, blitzed a fair amount and then just took some of that for when either was needed in the various stages.
The fact that this is a less sweet cake definitely works in its favour. Its my kinda cake. I will be keeping this recipe <3
Every baker knows the most important conversions are for the dry ingredients. Baking Soda and baking powder are leaveners used in such minute amounts that teaspoons are the most accurate way of measuring for most kitchen scales.
In other words, stop and just let the experts do their thing.
so easy!! thank you! ?
The recipe was so easy to follow, and turned out soo yummy!
Hi, where do you get the lavender?
If you are in US / Canada,Whole Foods sells LAVENDER EXTRACT. . I also found it on Etsy and Amazon. Substitute for the vanilla extract flavouring
great flavor, not too much lavender or earl grey to overpower the cake. nice and moist.
This is the best cake I’ve ever tasted. I’ve shared this with friends and family and everyone has said it is the best cake they have ever had. Definitely recommend this recipe! YUM
I made this cake for our monthly knitting group gathering, what a delicious cake! It did feel like a labor of love but worth every second. It’s a fantastic dessert and the frosting is so creamy!
Would a non dairy milk (like oat milk) and plant based butter work for this earl grey lavender cake?
While I have not tried this recipe yet. Unsweetened soy milk is the best non-dairy sub for regular milk as the fat/ protein contents are the most comparable. I am vegan and use soy in all of my baking, it has worked very well!
I asked my husband to make this for my birthday since I love drinking london fog lattes. It was hands down one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted. It was so flavorful, without the lavender being too overpowering.
This looks incredible!! Do you have any suggestions for how to adjust to bake it in a ceramic casserole dish?
I made this for a work party bake off and I won!
In step 9, you state 1/2 cup of milk, but in the Instagram video, it looks like you used a lot more. When making this based off your recipe, I only ended up with less than a tablespoon of the steeped milk. Which version is correct?
I’m still making the cake, I’ll report back once done.
Very good earl grey flavor… I went light on the lavender. Serving for Super Bowl Sunday! Cake
Incredible recipe! I have never received so many compliments on a cake I’ve baked before. It’s not too sweet but the flavors blend beautifully in the final product. I will definitely be making again!
great recipe but your website design is really challenging. Ads block the instructions in many places making it hard to follow
Quick question: can you define how fine the earl grey and lavender are meant to be? I don’t have a food processor, only a hand blender, and some of it is a very fine powder, while others are fine, and reduced, but won’t go through a fine mesh sieve – which is all I have. What kind of consistency are we looking for?
It turned out PERFECT. Not as hard as it seems and tastes exactly how it looks!
Overall, not too bad. To be completely honest, for people who aren’ familiar with lavender and/or earl grey tea, then surprise, it’s not going to be as sweet. It’s more of a savory cake in my opinion, which is obviously what this was striving to be, however there should have been at least an acknowledgment that, this is and I quote “warning, not as sweet as your ordinary joe kind of cake”. If you are unfamiliar, and want to know what this cake compares itself to, think about a delicious warmed up semi-sweet Focacca bread. –
skill issue
I saw this recipe on TikTok and HAD to recreate it! It came out so beautiful, and tasted so much better the morning after!
I followed the ingredients for the frosting and it was definitely too much for me. It’s pretty sweet, so I only added a thin layer of it and was forced to throw the rest away!
* If you don’t like frosting like me, you could literally 1/4 the frosting recipe!*
I went to Whole Foods and bought Lavender extract and substituted it for the vanilla. I also used 1/3 less sugar and it was still sweet enough. Did not overpower the other flavors with cloying sweetness. Make sure to use UNSALTED ? butter!
Thank You for posting, saw this on IG and made it! Kind of tastes like muffins, is fragrant, and best enjoyed at tea time!
Do you have a recommendation for using dairy free milks for this?
I have used Fairlife for years now. It’s great and it’s cheaper than Lactaid. Love the taste. Hope you can find it and give it a try.
Made this cake last weekend and it was delicious!! Really tender and flavorful. I used loose leaf Earl Grey and lavender buds. I did not get as much lavender scent or flavor as I would have liked, but the milk soak component of this was really good, and the not overly sweet icing balanced everything really nicely. A local tea shop carries a Lavender Earl Gray. I may try that the next time I make this cake. And, I will definitely make it again!! Delicious!!
Made this cake today and it’s one if the best I ever ate!! It’s fluffy and juicy, very strong in flavour and you can taste every component perfectly! Definitely a candidate for regular baking sessions! Thank you so much for this precious gem!
I made this cake for my birthday and it was SO GOOD! Everyone loved it, even though I was scared some would be afraid of the lavender flavor ? But I would absolutely make this again. I think I might make more of the milk soak however, it didn’t fully soak into the cake so it could’ve been a bit moister. But it was still delicious!
Made this cake exactly as described, but I crushed the culinary lavender buds in a mortar and pestle before adding to the icing. Absolutely delicious.
My friends and family all loved this recipe, especially since the flavor profile is quite unique compared to most cakes. I had to make another one just days after I made the first – it was THAT good!
For the first cake, I used french earl grey tea leaves but since I ran out the second time, I used regular earl grey tea bags instead. The earl grey tea was more pronounced and I didn’t blitz it in the food processor so it had more chew which my family loved! 11/10!! Super love this recipe!
This tea cake is delicious! I made it gluten-free by using Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose gluten-free flour (not the 1:1 flour) and added a 1/2 tsp of Xanthan Gum. It came out perfectly! I could have poked more holes in the cake for the milk soak to more evenly distribute, but otherwise, absolutely perfect!
A question and a comment – this recipe looks fantastic and I’m excited to try it. It’s a beautiful cake.
Question – I cannot tolerate any kind of caffeine – I will search for a caffeine-free Earl Grey tea.
Comment – I am loving your recipes, but I’m tempted to stop my subscription due all of the many ads that pop up and cover the content. There are even some that you cannot close as they will open up the ad. I don’t know if you have any control over the ads or not, but if you do, less is best.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I’m enjoying them
Thanks for the recipe. However this must be the most inconvenient website i ever looked up a recipe. 100s of pop ups, ingredients and actual recipe almost on the bottom of the page. I think i got 20+ screenshots to complete this cake.
I followed the recipe exactly, except replaced all purpose flour with King Arthur’s 1:1 Gluten Free flour, and it’s the best dessert I’ve ever made!
Inaccurate, untested gram measures!!! 3 TBSP tea weighs about 7-8g and 1 TBSP lavender weighs less than 1g.
skill issue
Is the cake made to be served immediately? Could I make it the day before I intend to serve it?
I cannot BELIEVE how incredible this turned out! Especially at altitude! I live in Denver and my homemade cake mixes always sink in the middle….not this one! Plus, it was literally EVERYTHING I dreamed it would be flavor and texture wise. Moist, lavender PERFECTION. It is the PERFECT level of sweet. I did use a kitchen scale to weigh my ingredients, and the amount was definitely different from what I scooped using measuring cups, so I think this tip is vital! I also added about 3 droppers full of lavender extract (from the vitamin/supplement section of Sprouts, my local natural grocer store) to the icing. And as always, I used high quality dairy products (Kerrygold butter, Kalona buttermilk) bc I think that makes a difference! I will be making this on rotation as my new “impressive baked good for guests and parties.” Thank you SO MUCH for this incredible recipe!
Is there a substitute for buttermilk? Can you make the vinegar/lemon juice mixed in version with whole milk?
Tripled the recipe + served it at a StarTrek party. Crowd loved it!!
This recipe is marvelous! I used a hand mixer and everything turned out gorgeous. Instead of a cream cheese frosting, I substituted for a lavender buttercream (personal preference) and added lemon zest to the batter. Will be making this again!
This is my first time reading through the recipe and the comments, and I am left with a few questions. The ingredients list “Earl Gray tea” — is this dry tea leaves or prepared tea? Also, where the ingredients call for “lavender”, is this dried buds, leaves, or both?
It turned out awesome! Thank you so much!
Hello! I think my husband would absolutely love this recipe but he’s not a fan of lavender. Is it possible to make this recipe without the lavender? Would I need to add more tea?
This cake did not work for my family. The flavors were lovely, the frosting wonderful and the milk infusion brilliant. However the crumb was dense and dry and I think would have been better baked in a 9×13. It was not anything like a tres leche that I make. I baked it as was directed and it was even slightly underdone on the center, yet the outer edges were too done.
Were I to attempt again, I would do everything the same but use my own vanilla cake batter recipe as this one was very thick and not at all as it should be.
I made it! It has a lovely flavor! I used Lady Grey because that’s what I had on hand and I used beet powder to color the frosting. It turned out perfect!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
It does not mention how many eggs to use
How wet does this end up being? I want to make it for my boyfriend but he doesn’t like how wet tres leches is. I know the description says it’s not that wet, but I have no experience making cakes with milk soak so I don’t want to end up with something we won’t like. If it’s pretty wet can I just reduce how much of the milk soak I put in to avoid that?
Hi, I want to try this recipe, but I live in a high altitude area (a little over 7,000ft).
Are there any adjustments I should make to the recipe?
Thanks!