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Earl Grey Tea Cake with Cream Cheese-Orange Glaze

This Earl Grey Tea Cake is infused with fragrant tea and bright orange zest, then topped with a silky cream cheese–orange glaze. Moist, tender, and full of citrusy flavor, it’s an easy yet elegant bake perfect for teatime or anytime you’re craving something special.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Teatime Treat
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cream cheese and orange glaze, Earl Grey Tea, gluten free option, tea loaf
Servings: 10 servings

Equipment

  • mixer

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 2 tablespoons 4 – 6 teabags Earl Grey tea leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 orange zested, save orange for juice for glaze
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese half an 8-ounce package, softened
  • 2 tablespoons milk whole preferred
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour or King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt

For the Glaze

  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 - 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Instructions

To Make Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, or 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan with a parchment sling and lightly grease.
  • Open tea bags and grind or crush the tea leaves to a fine consistency. I used spice grinder.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Stir in the ground tea leaves.
  • Add softened butter and cream cheese to the sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy.
  • Mix in milk and vanilla extract until combined.
  • Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until evenly golden brown, before tenting loosely with foil and baking for an additional 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs.
  • Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before using the parchment sling to transfer it to a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely before applying the glaze, at least 1 1/2 hours.

To Make Glaze:

  • Mix softened cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar until smooth. Add orange juice gradually until desired consistency is reached. Spread or drizzle over cooled cake.

Notes

  • Because of the cream cheese glaze, store the cake in the refrigerator.
  • If using tea with larger pieces, crush the tea leaves using a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or a plastic bag and rolling pin for a finer consistency. I used a coffee grinder dedicated to spices. 
  • Make this cake gluten-free with King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.