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Earl Grey Tea Chiffon Cake

by · 80 comments
If you love tea and fluffy cakes, this earl grey tea chiffon cake is for you. Even though you don’t drink tea, you’d like it after the first bite.

Earl Grey Chiffon Cake01


This elegant chiffon cake doesn’t taste too sweet. The earl grey tea liquid and tea leaves smell so fragrant. That’s why this cake is well liked by my family. For me, it’s truly a bliss while having a cup of coffee or tea with a little piece of this soft and fluffy cake, couching to read a favourite book.

Earl Grey Chiffon Cake02

Earl Grey Tea Chiffon Cake Recipe

(Printable recipe)
Course: Bakery
Cuisine: Asian
Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Earl Grey Tea Chiffon Cake03


Ingredients of Earl Grey tea milk:
  • 120 ml fresh milk
  • 6 gm (about 4 teaspoons) Earl Grey loose leaves
Ingredients:
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 20 gm castor sugar
  • 110 ml Earl Grey tea milk
  • 100 gm cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 80 ml canola oil
Ingredients of meringue:
  • 5 egg whites
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • 60 gm castor sugar

How To Make Earl Grey Chiffon Cake01
To prepare the earl grey tea milk. 
How To Make Earl Grey Chiffon Cake02

How To Make Earl Grey Chiffon Cake03
I found a flask that perfectly holds my cake pan inverted.
Method:
  1. Put the fresh milk in a little sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until it’s really hot, not boiled though. Add the earl grey tea leaves. Cover and remove from heat. After cooling down, drain out tea leaves through a fine sieve and keep them. Top up with more milk to get 110 ml if needed. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 170C / 335F.
  3. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the tea milk. Add tea leaves. Sift in cake flour and baking powder. Lightly combine together. Stir in one-third of the oil at a time. Combine well and get a smooth batter. Set aside.
  4. Use a large clean mixing bowl, without any trace of oil or water, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until bubbles form. Add the cream of tartar. After mixing well, add the 60 grams of sugar in three batches, about one-third at a time, and beat well between additions. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. (Note: Please refer to this video “How To Beat Egg Whites”.)
  5. Fold-in the beaten egg whites into the batter with a spatula. (Note: please refer to this video "How To Fold-in Egg Whites".)
  6. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. After baking the first 15 minutes, remove the cake pan from oven. Score 6 lines on the surface of the cake with a sharp knife. Continue to bake until cooked through. An inserted skewer comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven. Invert the pan immediately on a wire rack. Let it cool completely.
Notes:
  • I used Twingings Earl Grey loose tea. Process them in a food processor beforehand if you like stronger tea taste. Bear in mind that if using tea bags, the little bag will absorb some milk. Top it up to get the quantity yielded by the recipe.
  • The tea leaves are edible. You can omit them though.

80 comments :

  1. Talk about the perfect chiffon! I haven't baked one in a long while...now I am craving for a large piece with my afternoon tea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Christine, the cake looks great! It is unusual that the tea leaves are added into the cake. Will it have some bitter taste when bitten into it? Also, any reason to score lines on top of the cake 15 mins after baking?
    I tried so many of your recipe and loved everyone of it! Recently, I have been crazily making your Hokkaido bread almost every other day as it taste so good! Btw, do you have any great 流沙包 recipe to share? I tried a few but have not been able to find anyone that is as flowy and soft as those found in Tim sum restaurant. Tks! Irene

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, the tea leaves won't make the cake taste bitter at all, just add more flavour. You can skip it if you don't want.

      The cake will expand and crack once it's heated. The scoring will make the cake cracks more evenly and beautifully.

      Delete
    2. Tks for your prompt response. Will try it one of these days. I just baked a banana cake using your recipe and it tasted great! Tks! Btw, tried ordering your cookbook online but it us out of stock.... 😢

      Delete
  3. ,
    Hi Christine
    What is the purpose of scoring the cake into 6 after the first 15 minutes and how deep do you have to score it ? (all the way down?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Thuy,
      The cake will expand and crack once it's heated. The scoring will make the cake cracks more evenly and beautifully. No need to cut too deep, just 3mm or so, that's enough.

      Delete
  4. Hi Christine. Was wander why the chiffon cake will drop out so fast when I inverted it ? And also the purpose of invert? Is it all chiffon cake must do this step ? Tqvm . The recipe is very nice

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Christine,

    Could you tell me if I can replace the cream of tartar by something else? It's not commonly used in Europe...

    Thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, replace with white vinegar

      Delete
  6. Hi Christine, my chiffon cake tin is 23cm and understand that it should use 6 eggs for 23cm tin. May I know how am I going to adjust your recipe to use on 23cm? As I would like to get high and fluffy cake too. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you use 23cm baking pan instead, increase all the ingredients by 1.25

      Delete
  7. Hi
    why adding the sugar in 3 batches?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By doing so, the sugar will be melted and incorporated thoroughly and easily.

      Delete
  8. HI Christine,

    Can I omit cream of tartar ? love this recipe!


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cream of tartar is to stabilize the beaten egg whites. If you can add it, the cake will be better and the cake won't shrink easily.

      Delete
  9. Hi Christine can you replace the cream of tartar with tartaric acid? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  10. How Much Sugar Should I Use ?
    Recipe use sugar don't print how much

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janet,
      Already listed in the recipe, 20 grams for mixing with egg yolk mixture, 60 grams for beating with egg whites.

      Delete
  11. Hi Christine, I made this according to your recipe and people were full of praises for the cake!!!! Can I ask if you can do up one recipe for pandan chiffon cake using fresh pandan leaves? Thank you so much! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great ! Happy for you.

      I've already posted the pandan chiffon cake recipe on this blog. Please click the link to get it.

      Delete
  12. Hi Christine, I only have a 6inches cake mold, how should i adjust the ingredients?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi MamaDau,
      Simply cut down all the ingredients by half. Then it'll fit into your 6-inch mold.

      Delete
  13. Thanks Christine, I will try it out during my CNY holiday. Happy Chinese New Year to you =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All the best MamaDau. Happy CNY to you and your family.

      Delete
  14. Hi! Why do we use non greased pan? Do we need to heat the pan before pouring the batter?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As the texture of this cake is very delicate and light, it needs to stick to the sides of the pan to "climb" up. If you use greased pan, the cake will tend to shrink back once it's removed from oven and cooled down.

      No, you don't need to heat up the cake pan.

      Delete
  15. Hi , I only have a 7 inch chiffon tin . How do I adjust the amount of ingredient ?

    And I'm confuse , may I know the fresh milk is it measure 110ml then pour into sauce pan ? Or need slightly Abit more ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If using 7-inch tin, simply multiply all the ingredients in the recipe by 0.7

      You might like to to add a bit more than 110ml into the sauce pan to steep the tea leaves, or add a bit more after steeping, because you'll lose some milk in the process.
      Whichever way, in the end, you need to measure out 110 ml of liquid (tea milk) to make the batter.

      Delete
  16. Thank you for ur advise . Shall try it out .
    Oh by the way , I baked the Pandan chiffon cake and wow wow is so fluffy and nice !
    Thank u again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad that you loved the pandan chiffon cake recipe. :)

      Delete
  17. Hi, lovely cake here! I have a 25cm pan, can you advise on the proportion of the ingredients? Thanks!

    HC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi HC,

      Simply increase all the ingredients by 1.5

      Delete
  18. Many thanks Christine! Will try it out real soon.

    HC

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm diabetic and would like to reduce the amount of sugar used in this recipe. Do you have any recommended amount of how much sugar can be reduced without ruining the cake?

    What's the purpose of the sugar? is it just for flavor?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The role of sugar is quite important in making this cake. Not only for flavour, but also for keeping moist and texture.

      I'm afraid that just decreasing the amount of sugar can't work for you and the cake. May be you can find some sugar substitutes. Think that it's better to ask a staff from a nearby bakery store to suggest you a sugar substitute product, then check it out with your doctor if it suits you.


      Delete
  20. Hi Christine,

    I've been looking for a good Earl Grey Chiffon recipe, and yours looks the best.

    I have only backed a chiffon once and that was ages ago. I don't really have that cake tin (not sure how you called it) the one with the tube in thimble, can i use normal cake tin by any chance?

    Another question, i saw the photo you put on in the end, you have inverted the tin on top of something, what was the reason for putting up that high? and do we have to grease the tin with something or it will come out easily with the amount of oil in the recipe?

    Thanks a lot in advance for your time and effort. Waiting for your reply.

    Maai

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maai,

      Thanks for dropping by.

      The cake tin is called chiffon cake tin. You don't need to grease the cake tin, or don't ever use any non-stick tins because the cake tends to collapse once it cools down. So that's why I invert it immediately after removing from oven.

      Delete
  21. Hi Christine,

    My cake slid out of the tin the moment I inverted it on a wire rack, is that supposed to happen? If not, can you please tell me what went wrong? I didn't grease the tin

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cake should cling to the sides of the tin. Did you use non-stick pan?
      Or has your cake shrunk? The batter could be over-beaten.

      Delete
  22. Hey there! I was wondering how heavy 6 egg whites would be as my family likes to buy rather small eggs. I know chiffon cakes are rather delicate and I fear that my proportion of egg whites would be too small.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, the eggs I often use are about 55 grams each.

      Delete
  23. Hi Christine, I'm not fond of using canola oil, can I use substitute it with light/mild olive oil instead? Would the texture of the cake be affected?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Light olive oil is good. It doesn't have strong smell overpowering the whole cake. It won't affect the texture at all if you use the same amount.


      Delete
  24. Hi! Would it be okay to bake it in a normal cake tin and not an angel cake tin?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sure, you can use a normal cake tin. The middle top of the cake might have a little cave in when cooled down. But it doesn't matter at all.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi Christine! Sorry if I missed it but what pan size did you use for your chiffon cake? Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem. I've already put the pan size below the cook time:
      20cm / 8 inch round removable based angle cake mould, not greased.

      Delete
  27. Thank you for the recipe, Christine! My friend loves it so much that she's asked for an Earl Grey cake for her wedding! It tastes great every time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, so glad that your friend loved it.
      Congrats on your friend's wedding. :)

      Delete
  28. Hi Christine, I don't have any cake pans. Can I bake these as cupcakes in cupcake pans?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't tried to use this recipe to make cup cakes. You might experiment with cup cake pan though.

      Delete
  29. Hi Christine! I've always been intrigued by chiffon cakes and I made you earl grey chiffon recipe for the first time! It's SUPER fluffy, light and a lot moister than expected! Just curious as to how much each of your eggs weigh? Our eggs in Australia are generally 58-59g each. Many thanks in advance! I can't wait to make the banana flavour when my bananas ripen more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Haermii,
      So glad that you liked my chiffon cake recipe.
      Same here. I often use eggs that are around 59 grams each too.

      Delete
  30. Hi, I’ve made this chiffon cake before and love it! However, I’ve changed my angel cake pan to a 10 inch one. How much of your ingredients should I use? Thank you. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Increase all the ingredients by 1.5

      Happy baking!

      Delete
    2. Thank you. So should I try it with 7 egg yolks and 8 egg whites?

      Delete
    3. You can use 8 egg yolks and 8 egg whites. And increase all other ingredients accordingly.

      Delete
  31. Hi Christine, I tried few of your chiffon cakes with great success, Thanks for your wonderful recipes. I would like to bake coffee chiffon cake. Do you think I can substitute Earl Grey tea + milk with instant coffee powder + milk? Thanks.

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi Jo,
    Yes, you can substitute with instant coffee powder and milk. Please adjust the amount.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi Christine, will coffee milk work with this recipe instead of the tea

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi,
    Coffee and milk will work. You need to adjust the amount though.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Made this afternoon and it came out very nice and light.... The "chiffon" cake texture was so good. Taste so good too. But I did have problem of the cake slipping out of the pan few mins after inverting. Good thing I managed to save it from disaster ! Thanks for a great recipe Christine

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi there,
    Glad that you tried and loved this recipe.
    Ouch.... the cake was slipping out. Good on you for saving it.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hi Christine,

    Do you use water bath for this recipe? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jean,
      No, I didn't use water bath to bake this cake.

      Delete
  38. Hi Christine,

    I tried making your recipe today and it tasted great! I made it in a normal round aluminium cake tin, not the angel cake tin. I use a piece of baking paper on the bottom and it caved in slightly.

    Would the cake stick to the bottom if I don't use baking paper next time? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Hi
    This chiffon cake is very soft and tends to shrink and cave in a bit after cooling down. That's why it's usually used an angel cake tin. On top of that, the baking paper on the bottom also facilitated this undesired effect.

    Yes, the cake will stick to the bottom if not using any baking paper.

    You might try using a cake tin with a removable bottom next time. It could help to remove your cake easily.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hello, I would love to try on this recipe, do you have the measurement ingredients for in 6 inch? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hi Carrena,
    You can simply decrease the amount of all the ingredients by 0.56
    Then round them up.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Then how many eggs should use for 6 inch? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hello Christine, I have tried your Orange chiffon cake and it came out perfect look. Texture and taste is superb! Not sure why earl grey chiffon failed. There is big hollow at the bottom of the tin. It didn’t raise well too. May you tell me where could have gone wrong? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  44. Hi KC,
    It could be something went wrong while folding the egg whites.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi Christine! Would I be able to use a regular cake pan for this? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hi Michelle,
    I used an angle cake pan because it's easier to prevent the cake from inverting inside while cooling down. Sure, you can use a regular cake pan instead. Quickly invert your cake pan on a a wire rack. Hope it helps too.
    Happy baking!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi Christine, the sides of your cake is beautiful! May I know if u unmould by hand or with knife etc? Thankyou

    ReplyDelete
  48. Hi Dorealmoo,
    I used a sharp knife to run around the side of my cake and then unmould it.

    ReplyDelete
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