Lavender Earl Grey Tea Loaf

I’m still riding the spring has sprung high over here, so for this Full Worm Moon I was dying to try a lavender tea loaf. Something about herbal infused baked goods always feel like celebratory foods to me. This sweet bread is perfect for tea time with an infusion of Earl Grey tea, dried lavender buds, and a sharp lemon icing drizzle.

The children helped us collect edible wild violet flowers to decorate the bread. While these are 100% edible, I generally prefer them just for looks. The kids, though, love learning about things from nature that they’re allowed to eat!

For breakfast, I love a lemon curd spread on. The sharpness of the lemon drizzle (and lemon curd if you like!) really accent the delicate flavors of the lavender and Earl Grey tea beautifully. When working with lavender, it’s a balance of adding enough to get the flavor, but not over doing it because too much lavender can make the dish taste soapy!

I made mine in a standard loaf pan, but this would also be lovely in a bundt cake pan. Baking times will vary depending on the oven, so I typically recommend starting to check then doneness after 25 mins and gauging from there. In the oven I used today, it took about 50 minutes to bake, but in my oven at home it would finish in closer to 40 minutes. It is done when the top is golden brown, there is no jiggle in the middle, and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allowing it to cool in the pan will give it an extra few minutes to cook inside and the delicate crumb to form.

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Lavender Earl Grey Tea Cake

Author: Vivian Kyle

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

Ingredients

Lavender Earl Grey Tea Bread

• 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (180g) whole milk infused OR 1/4 cup (23g) whole milk powder with 2/3 cup (157ml) water
• 1 tsp loose leaf Earl Grey tea or 1 teabag of Earl Grey tea
• 2 tsp dried lavender buds, ground or finely chopped 

Lemon Drizzle Icing

• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)
• Zest of 1 lemon 
• 3/4 - 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• Pinch of dried lavender buds

Instructions

Make the Bread

1. Infuse whole milk with earl grey tea by heating the milk in a small pot over medium low heat. Add the Earl Grey tea and simmer (do not let boil) on a stovetop on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and strain loose tea leaves or remove tea bag.
2. Alternatively, you can brew tea in water by bringing the water to a boil in a pot or kettle, then pour over Earl Grey tea and allow to steep for 6 minutes before straining the loose tea leaves or removing tea bag. Allow to cool and then use the brewed tea in place of water to reconstitute the whole milk powder (as per the milk powder's directions)
3. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or coat with nonstick spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper (optional for easy removal.)
4. Cream butter and sugar together with stand or hand mixer (with a paddle or whisk attachment) at on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
5. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
7. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the tea infused milk to the butter/sugar mixture, approximately 1/3 of each the flour mix and the milk at a time, beating on medium-low after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed .
8. Once fully incorporated and smooth, add in the lavender buds and mix on medium low until evenly dispersed.
9. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 35-50mins until the top is golden brown and inserted skewer comes out clean.  
10. If top becomes golden brown, but inside is not fully baked, you can tent the loaf with aluminum foil to prevent over baking the top. 
11. Allow to cool 20-30mins before removing from the pan.  

Make the Icing

1. While the bread is baking, prepare the icing in a small bowl by slowly adding the confectioners' sugar to the lemon juice, and zest, whisking as you add in the sugar until the desired thickness is achieved.  Add a pinch of dried lavender buds and gently whisk in to incorporate (optional).
2. For a sweeter bread, make a thicker icing with more confectioners' sugar and brush on. For a less sweet bread, a thinner icing with less confectioners' sugar can be drizzled or brushed on.

Notes:

Special Tools: Glass Mixing Bowls | Stand Mixer | Loaf Pan | Pastry Brush

• Don’t have earl grey tea on hand? Skip it! This is delicious either way. 
• This can be baked beautifully in a bundt cake pan (and will look amazing with that lemon drizzle going down the sides), but bake times will vary depending on the size of the pan. 
• The drizzle can be made without lemon juice by just replacing with water or milk.  

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