Earl Grey Tea Cake Roll - Substitute with Any Tea

A beloved café favorite, London Fog latte, is interpreted into a super soft and fluffy Earl Grey tea cake roll. Easily substitute with your favorite tea flavor.

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I wanted to add this Earl Grey Swiss roll into my fluffy cake roll collection for those readers who've asked me how to add flavor from tea leaves into a cake. The method I'm using in this recipe can be modified with other tea flavors like Oolong or Pu-erh, just 2 of the flavors which are trending these days at the Asian-based drink shops. For this particular cake, I was inspired by a popular drink served in the cafes here in North America called the London Fog tea latte. It's a cozy drink composed of steeped Earl Grey tea with vanilla syrup topped with milk foam. I've tried to mirror this flavor composition with an Earl Grey tea chiffon cake base and vanilla whipped cream filling. I think it's a great flavor choice for afternoon tea, neutral-gender themes and Father's Day right around the corner. I hope you enjoy it.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Super fluffy chiffon cake base in the Japanese style
• Earl Grey flavor works with neutral-gender themes
• Tea-infusion method allows for modifications with other tea flavors.
• Flexible cake roll recipe prevents cracking
• Perfect for tea time, Father's Day, baby showers, birthday parties & more

Ingredients & Substitutions

Wet Mix for Earl Grey Chiffon Cake

• Whole fat milk - can be substituted with 2% milk
• Earl Grey tea bag* - see substitutions in paragraph below
• Neutral oil - neutral tasting oils like canola, grapeseed and avocado are all good choices. Do not use strong flavored oils like peanut or sunflower.
• Granulated sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and break up the grains in the dry ingredients.
• Egg yolks
• Vanilla extract - adds extra depth of flavor. Vanilla is an integral part of the London Fog Latte, the flavor which this cake is based on, try to use a pure vanilla extract.

Dry Mix for Earl Grey Chiffon Cake

• Cake flour - a low protein flour which will help make this cake softer than if using AP flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8% while pastry flour, also a lower protein flour, has a protein content between 8-9%. Grocery stores usually sell a combination of cake and pastry flour at 7-9% protein. It can be substituted with all-purpose flour but the cake will be a little tougher than if using cake flour.
• Baking powder - helps leaven the cake in case there is any weaknesses in the meringue. This can be omitted if you're careful with whipping the meringue to stiff peaks.
• Sea salt - provides a nice contrast to the sweet taste in the cake and brings out the flavors. Use half the amount if using table salt.

Meringue for Earl Grey Chiffon Cake

• Egg whites in the meringue - use large eggs. Egg whites whip better at room temperature so keep it out on the counter for about half hour before whipping.
• Granulated sugar in the meringue - adds stability to the meringue and tenderizes the cake.
• Cream of tartar in the meringue - is an acid that helps to stabilize the meringue. It can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.
• (Optional) Gel color - gel colors are a potent form of food coloring that doesn't add excess moisture when added to baked goods. I used it here to color the cake for this photoshoot. It can be omitted if you prefer a natural look. The cake will look beige brown with speckled with tea bits (see batter in process photos below).

Stabilized Vanilla Cream

• Powdered gelatin in the cream - use the unflavored kind. I prefer this brand.
• Granulated sugar
• Whipping cream in the cream (m.f. 33%) - has milk fat content of 30-35%. Cream must be chilled for it to whip properly. It can be substituted with heavy cream. Do not use half & half.

What Kind of Earl Grey Tea To Use?

Earl Grey tea bags are the most convenient type to use in this recipe because the leaves are usually finely ground up and ,therefore, won't make the cake grainy. For this recipe, I found the TAZO brand to be quite flavorful and finely ground. If using loose leaves, the dried up leaves must be ground up (ex. with Nutribullet) before use. Earl Grey tea can be substituted with other flavors of teas.

Tips for A Perfect Cake Roll

• A strong and healthy meringue (whipped egg whites with sugar) is needed to act as one of the leavening agents in this cake. Egg whites should be whipped in a clean and dry non-plastic bowl since plastic tends to trap oil. Egg whites don't whip well in the presence of oil and water. To further remove oils, use a paper towel and wipe down the mixing bowl with lemon or vinegar before you start.
• Carefully separate the egg whites and yolks when the eggs are cold. Make sure no yolks are present in the egg whites. An egg separator can come in handy.
• Bring the egg whites to a stiff peak. This is characterized by egg whites that have a beak that points upwards (instead of slumped over) when the whisk is pulled out.
• Once the liquid is introduced to the flour, do not over mix. This will produce more gluten, making the cake less tender.
• After pouring the batter into the cake tray, rap it a few times on the counter to get rid of large air pockets, this will make the design show on a smoother surface.
• Use a gentle folding movement with a spatula to incorporate the meringue into the wet flour mixture. Do not stir, this will prevent the air in the meringue from deflating.
• Add more cream along the short edge of the cake which is to be rolled first. This will prevent the cake from cracking due to large gaps in between the folds. These angled spatulas will come in handy for even frosting any time of cake. Instead of putting your hands directly onto the cake, use the parchment paper to push the cake onto itself as you roll.
• Fold gently and do not worry too much about rolling the cake very tightly. As long as the cream is spread out evenly (with a bit more along the short edge as per above), the amount of cream in this recipe will allow the sheet cake to hold up without cracking due to large gaps.
• Chill the bowl, beaters and whipped cream for optimal whipping volume. They should all be be very cold. Whipping in a stainless steel bowl placed on top of a bed of ice will help keep things nice and cool on a hot day.
• Gelatin is added to the whipped cream to help stabilize it. Many recipes do not include this step but I prefer it when using whipped cream in a cake roll. It prevents the cream from deflating so the roll stays rounder and looks nicer. You can leave this step out if you plan on serving the cake immediately. If you need further guidance on stabilizing the cream, please read my post on How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Gelatin.
• If you find rolling the cake and stabilizing the whipped cream is too time-consuming, try this easy Japanese Peach Cake in a Cup, it has the same great chiffon base but doesn't require rolling or whipped cream stabilization and can be baked in a pan of any size.

Step By Step - Earl Grey Cake Base

In a small sauce pan, bring milk to a light simmer. Take off heat as soon as bubbles emerge on the side of the pan. Add teabag and cover to steep. Once cooled, measure out 50 ml of milk ( if needed, add fresh milk to compensate for any loss). Open tea bag and take out 1 teaspoon (2 teaspoon for a stronger flavor) of ground tea to add into batter. Set milk and tea aside.

Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper or silicone mat. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry mix. Stir to combine. Create a well in the center. Inside it, add wet mix. Stir with a balloon whisk to combine, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside. 

Make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add sugar a little bit at a time.

Increase speed to med-high. If using gel colors, add it now. Whip until stiff peaks.* This is now the meringue.

Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately. 

Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets. Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center. Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing. Place cooling rack over cake pan. Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper/mat. The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack while making the fresh cream.

Step By Step - Stabilized Vanilla Cream

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better. Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes. Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.

Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium.

Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny. Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl. Add vanilla extract.

Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip. Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

How to Decorate Cake Roll

Earl Grey flavored desserts at the bakery are usually colored grey, purple, beige or light blue but you can definitely use your creativity as there isn't a "natural" color that it is associated with. I colored mine with dark grey gel colors for concept purposes. If left uncolored, the cake will look beige brown with a speckled appearance.

Some decorating ideas include topping the cake with: fresh fruits, meringues, candies, chocolates, lemon slices, dried lavender and edible flowers. I also tried rolling in fresh strawberries which made for a refreshing pairing.

How to Create Different Flavored Cake Rolls

As mentioned above, Earl Grey tea can be substituted with different flavored teas. In addition, you can mix and match different fillings with this cake base. For example, you can try substituting it with a chocolate filling from this chocolate cake roll recipe or with a coffee filling from this coffee cake roll recipe. If you're interested in adapting the cake base for other flavors, here are some other recipes from my fluffy cake roll collection: matcha cake roll, carrot cake roll, pumpkin cake roll , gingerbread cake roll and cotton candy cake roll.

How to Store Chiffon Cake Roll

Earl Grey tea cake roll can be kept in the fridge in an air tight container for 2-3 days. Because it contains whipped cream, it does not freeze/defrost well. Making the cake fresh will yield the best results. If advance preparation is required, I recommend refrigerating/freezing only the cake portion as a sheet and defrost overnight in the fridge. Once defrosted, make the whipped cream and then assemble.

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