My Earl Grey fig cake has incredibly moist and tender crumbs with beautiful notes of Earl grey, an airy mascarpone frosting, topped with jammy figs and a delightful salted caramel.
This October marks the tenth year anniversary of Beyond Sweet and Savory! For me, this is unbelievable and absolutely amazing. My blog was born out of a desire to document my family recipes and boredom after I had finished my second year pharmacy residency. When I began this journey, I had no idea where it would take me. At times I feel like a failure because I didn’t make good on my intention to post regularly. But real life takes precedence over this special corner of my life. Running a blog is another job in itself and I couldn't have done it with the help of my husband and mom! My two babies, cancer scare, and struggle with COVID were those times I really needed to step away and concentrate on my family and my health. I couldn’t pretend it was all good when things were falling apart. As the little tag line says, “food and life through our lens,” I wanted this blog to be not just a reflection of the food we cook but the life we live.
After ten years of blogging, I’m incredibly grateful for the lifelong friendship that I have made through this community, opportunities to make a difference through charity, partnership with some amazing brands, and all the doors that have opened because of your support. Recently, I even had the opportunity to share my first recipe on Serious Eats. It was surreal like my first appearance on TV. I do read every single comment and appreciate your support immensely. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making these recipes and letting me be a part of your dinner table and holiday meals. To celebrate this wonderful occasion, I’m sharing one of my favorite cakes ever, an Earl Grey fig cake with salted caramel. The cake has incredibly moist and tender crumbs with beautiful notes of Earl grey, an airy mascarpone frosting, topped with jammy figs and a delightful salted caramel also flavored with Earl Grey.
Tips for Making the Cake
- Make sure to use room temperature eggs. When it comes to baking, room temperature eggs allow them to disperse evenly into the batter trapping air. During baking, the air expands, producing light, airy, evenly baked treats. Batters made with room temperature ingredients are smooth and evenly incorporated. Cold ingredients don’t incorporate evenly, resulting in dense texture. Take eggs and other dairy products out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before baking. Bring cold eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. Don’t use hot water which will heat them unevenly, and the whites will start to set.
- The best way to infuse Earl Grey flavor into the cake batter is making Earl Grey sugar. Combine 2 tablespoons of loose Earl Grey tea leaves with ½ cup of sugar in a spice blender and process until fine. If you don’t have a spice blender, use a pestle and mortar to blend the ingredients together.
- Make the frosting and Earl Grey sugar the day before. Sift the dry ingredients together and prepare the cake pans first. Whip up the egg whites and transfer them to another bowl before using the same bowl that you used to beat the egg whites to make the cake batter. I’m a bit lazy when it comes to washing dishes, so I like to work in a way to minimize the amount of dishes I have to clean.
- For this Earl Grey olive oil cake, I used two 8-inch cake pans. If you don’t own 8-inch cake pans, you can also bake the cake in two 9-inch or 10-inch cake pans. This works just as well, but you’ll have a shorter and wider cake versus tall and skinny. To make it easier to decorate later, divide the cake batter evenly among the pan.
- Infuse the heavy cream with Earl Grey tea before using it to make the salted caramel.
Tips for a Moist Cake
Everything that goes into making a cake affects its flavor and texture. Besides measuring the right ingredients and following instructions to the t, there are a few essential steps for getting a moist cake. Preheat your oven to ensure the proper temperature. Opening the oven door during baking creates great fluctuations in heat and causes your cake to collapse, which is a big no-no for a layered cake!
Over-mixing the batter will incorporate too much air resulting in the cake falling and becoming dense. Don’t overbake or the texture will be dry. Place the cake on the middle rack so the heat is distributed evenly between the top and bottom. Check for doneness 5 minutes before the required baking time because not all ovens act the same. The best method for testing a cake’s doneness is with a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.
How to Decorate the Cake
For frosting, I used an offset spatula to spread about 2 cups of frosting between the layers and top and the remaining frosting for the sides of the cake. Apply a thin layer of frosting to the sides of the cake, starting at the bottom and working your way up to the top. Once the sides are covered, use your bench scraper and smooth the sides of the cake until they’re straight and you have some areas of cake peeking through.
After you are done frosting the cake, let the Earl Grey fig cake sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Refrigeration helps the whipped mascarpone cream adhere to the cake layers and ensures a neater slice. When ready to serve, drizzle the salted caramel over the cake and top it with fresh figs. Any leftover cake can be refrigerated in a lidded container for 72 hours.
I couldn't think of a better cake to celebrate this wonderful occasion. You get a double dose of Earl Grey flavor from the cake and salted caramel, moist and tender crumbs, and an airy mascarpone frosting that imparts a silken creaminess with each bite. This Earl Grey fig cake with salted caramel is worth every calories! Thank you for your support, constructive feedback, and allowing me to be a small part of your life. There were times when I thought I should have named my blog the Joyful Home Cook instead of Beyond and Sweet and Savory because of the joy it gave me in sharing these recipes and the joy I felt reading your comments and seeing your pictures of the recipes you made. The name kind of stuck so here's to another decade of Beyond Sweet and Savory and this wonderful community that we have built here!
For more fall cake inspiration, you might like these recipes: blackberry earl grey olive oil cake, toffee apple cake, pumpkin olive oil bundt cake.
Earl Grey Fig Cake with Salted Caramel
Ingredients
Earl Grey Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, separated, room temp
- 1 cup milk, room temp
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Mascarpone Frosting
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 12 ounces ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 pound fresh figs, halved or quartered for servings
Earl Grey Caramel
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea leaves
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To make the frosting, in a stand mixer attached with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar on medium speed until the cream is thick. Add in the mascarpone and whip on medium-high speed until firm peaks form. Be careful not to over whip or the frosting will turn into butter. Transfer the frosting to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make the Earl grey sugar, process tea leaves and ½ cup of the sugar until leaves are finely ground.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Line 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease the bottom with olive oil. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until frothy, 2 minutes. Add cream of tartar and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Gradually add remaining sugar, one tablespoon at a time, waiting for 10 seconds before adding another tablespoon of sugar. Continue beating until mixture is thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. The egg whites will look like shaving cream. Transfer the whipped egg whites to a clean bowl.
- In the same bowl that you used to whip the egg whites, add Earl Grey sugar and egg yolks. Beat for 5 minutes or until thick and pale, and doubled in volume. Gradually add milk and olive oil, beating until well combined.
- Add in the sifted dry ingredients and beat until well combined. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the cake batter in four batches with a rubber spatula, until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Place cake pans on the middle rack and bake for 32-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, immediately turn the pans upside-down on the cooling rack and leave to cool completely in this position.
- When the cakes are completely cooled, turn them right side up and carefully run a small knife around the edge of the cake pan to help release the cake.
- When the cakes are completely cooled, turn them right side up and carefully run a small knife around the edge of the cake pan to help release the cake.
- Place one cake on a flat serving plate. Spoon 2 cups of mascarpone frosting on the cake and spread it evenly across the top.
- Place the second cake layer on the frosting and press down slightly to even out the cake. Repeat with the remaining layers.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the sides of the cake with remaining frosting.
- Use a bench scraper to smooth the sides of the cake to achieve a naked look.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving and up to 3 days.
- To make the salted caramel, bring heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the Earl Grey tea leaves and turn the heat to simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the heavy cream. Discard the tea leaves.
- To make the salted caramel, place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 10–12 minutes without stirring until the mixture is a deep caramel color.
- Remove the pan from heat and working quickly, whisk in the salt and Earl Grey infused cream until combined.
- Return the pan to heat and cook for another 5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before serving.
- When ready to serve, drizzle half a cup of salted caramel over the cake. Reserve the rest for serving.
- Top the cake with fresh figs and serve immediately.
Jane
Stunning and the flavors sound delightful!
Ella
I love this cake so much I want make it for my wedding cake, does anyone know if it would freeze and thaw well?
Thanks!
Vy Tran
Hi Ella! My friend has done it before but I suggest trying it yourself for a test run. You can make the cake layers and freeze them, up to a month for the best flavor. The caramel can be made a week ahead and the frosting within 72 hours of serving.
Ella
That’s so good to know! Thank you!!!
Vy Tran
you're welcome! Hope it works out!