One could argue that I know plenty of other life skills to make up for it, such as how to correctly address a formal letter to the Italian Consulate of New York, or that boiling a pan with a bit of water and baking soda will dissolve away any trace of a lingering sauce, or bake booze into anything and you have the best party trick OF ALL TIME.
All these important tidbits aside, you are full-grown when you have a teapot you can call your own.
Perhaps it is in part to my Scottish ancestry but just like our scones, my family takes tea seriously. They also take it freshly brewed from a royal blue teapot with milk and sugar, but those are details that are really just a matter of taste.
Fancy cups, matching saucers, tiny spoons, sugar bowls with lids, creamers…omgz…I think I just figured out the reason why they call it a tea party!
Let’s be real, half the fun of drinking tea is the accessories that come with it and drinking from a fancy cup with a pinky finger held high.
My mom confirms this truth by owning – and using! – a tiny lemon-shaped sponge that slips on the spout to catch any drips. I’m serious! They actually make those! I’m fairly certain she bought it because she was tired of cleaning up tea rings on the table but she is the queen of making practical everyday objects extra classy without even trying. Admit it though, those pesky drips can be super annoying.
I do have quite a collection of tiny spoons so I’m ready when my cabinets are to accept the teapot into our home for a party. However, in the meantime I’m happy to just bake with my tea and drink it by the single cupful.
The base for this everyday and not too sweet loaf cake starts with black tea steeped in milk. Once the flavors start to come out mix it up with a good hit of yogurt to ensure nary a dry crumb and then top it all off with a sprinkling of toasted sliced almonds for a little crunch.
This easy little cake is best served warm in generous slices for breakfast, an afternoon snack or on the late night when no one is looking.
Earl Grey Almond Yogurt Cake
Makes one 8×4 loaf
3 bags (6 grams) earl grey tea leaves
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
1 1/4 cup (156 grams) flour
1 cup (100 grams) almond flour
2 teaspoons (9 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
1 cup (215 grams) sugar
zest + juice of one lemon
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
2/3 cup (160 grams) yogurt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup (22 grams) sliced almonds, toasted
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 8×4 loaf pan, line with parchment and butter the paper. Set aside.
In a small saucepan combine the milk and the tea leaves (I snipped the top off the tea bags and emptied them right into the pan) and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk is warm and tea begins to steep. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. In a small bowl (or liquid measuring cup) whisk together the oil, yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla and mix until the oil and yogurt have combined. Stir in the milk and tea leaves. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, whisking briefly to break the yolks, then add to the yogurt mixture and beat until smooth.
Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well using several quick strokes. Be careful not to overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
tea + cake =sold. i’m a sucker for anything this sweet that can be eaten with equal gusto morning or night, judgment-free. shall we just call it breakfast cake? and hoorah for the yogurt, makes everything better.
This is exactly my ideal cake–easy, non-fussy, moist, not too sweet. Plus the cake itself–not a tower of glurgy frosting–is the star of the show. I heartily approve.
Gorgeous cake. I love using tea to flavour baked goods and almond flour always makes the crumb so deliciously tender.
Congratulations on your SAVEUR award, Lillie — it was well-deserved. You have a lovely blog that I’m excited to follow 🙂
Thank you so much!!
Lillie, a huge congrats!!!!
I’m super excited for you!
You are an inspiration : )
Aw thank you so much! xo
Hope you had a big celebration. Congratulations. Your dad was pretty excited for you:-)
Thank you Jean!
I’ve developed an interest in baking with tea and was delighted to find your post with Earl Grey. A lovely cake indeed!
Me gusta mucho tu blog , te felicito ya que salio premiado como uno de los mejores .
Desde Argentina mis saludos , te dejo mi blog de cocina hogareña http://www.acocinar.bligoo.cl.
Made this on a lazy 3-day weekend Sunday… this is a wonderful brunch cake. The Earl Grey really adds an interesting, complementary flavor.
Yay! It is a perfect lazy day cake! 🙂
Can you use almond milk in place of the milk?
Yes, I think it would work perfectly in this cake. I’d love to know how it turns out!
I’ve made Earl Grey Tea Cookies before and this recipe just sounds increditable!
Hey, I tried this a while ago with chai tea instead of earl grey and it turned out great! Check it out on my blog http://wordsandcake.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/chai-almond-teacake.html 🙂
It looks great and chai sounds wonderful in this cake!!!
I made this for the first time last week, and thought when it came out of the oven that I’d put too much lemon zest/juice in …. the next day, all the flavors had come together and it was DELICIOUS! The crumb is moist and light, and the taste is just sweet enough to be satisfying without being overwhelming. Thanks for the recipe!!
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear it was a success!
Oh Lillie, I made this but put the batter in tiny-tiny muffin-cases (actually für truffles). They were delicious and adorable, you would have loved them!
Sounds too adorable! Glad they were enjoyed! xo
this cake is absolutely awesome! I made one Thursday and here it is Sunday and I’ve got another one in the oven. I put 4 teabags in this loaf so we’ll see how that turns out. Oh my, the flavors! I love the blend of tea, lemon and almond all in one bite! Oh yeah, I’m buttered up!
Wonderful! I’m so glad it has been enjoyed! Happy baking!
In the oven now. Can’t wait to see n taste the result !
In the oven now. Can’t wait to see and taste the result!
AHMAZING recipe. Wow so delicious. The crust was nice and crispy, inside was moist. You can really taste the lemon. So easy to make as well. Thanks!!!
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