Lemon London Fog Loaf

This lemon London Fog loaf is seriously so good. If you’ve never had a London Fog before, it’s a drink made with Earl Grey tea, steamed milk and vanilla, so it has this creamy, slightly floral flavor with citrusy notes from the bergamot in the tea. This loaf takes those flavors and adds plenty of fresh lemon, which works so well with the Earl Grey. It’s soft and moist, with Earl Grey infused into the cake, a lemon Earl Grey soak brushed over it as it cools and a thick lemon glaze on top. You get that subtle tea flavor and fresh lemon in every bite without either one being too overpowering. Definitely one of those cakes that’s even better with a cup of tea.

Ingredients:

For the Lemon Earl Grey Loaf:

• 80g (1/3 cup) whole milk

• 2 Earl Grey tea bags, for steeping

• 210g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour

• 1 Earl Grey tea bag (about 2–3g), opened and leaves finely ground

• 2 tsp baking powder (8g)

• 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)

• 200g (1 cup) caster sugar

• Zest of 2 small lemons or 1 large lemon

• 50g (3 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter

• 70g (1/3 cup) neutral oil

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 130g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) full-fat Greek yogurt, at room temperature

• 25g (1 1/2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5g)

For the Lemon Earl Grey Soak:

• 60g water

• 1 Earl Grey tea bag

• 45g (about 3 1/2 tbsp) caster sugar

• 35g (about 2 1/2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice

For the Earl Grey Lemon Glaze:

• 25g (about 1 1/2 tbsp) whole milk

• 150g (1 1/4 cups) icing sugar, sifted

• 5–8g (1–1 1/2 tsp) fresh lemon juice

• Pinch of salt

• Fresh lemon zest, dried Earl Grey tea leaves and/or dried edible flowers, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Make the Earl Grey Milk

1. Infuse the milk. Add the 80g whole milk to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until it is hot and steaming, but not boiling. Remove from the heat, add the 2 Earl Grey tea bags and cover. Let the tea steep in the milk for 15 minutes so it has enough time to pick up the Earl Grey flavor.

2. Remove the tea bags. After 15 minutes, remove the tea bags and gently press them against the side of the saucepan with a spoon to release some of the milk they have absorbed. Avoid squeezing them too aggressively as this can make the tea slightly bitter.

3. Add the butter. While the infused milk is still warm, add the 50g butter and stir until completely melted. If the milk has cooled too much to melt the butter, place the saucepan back over very low heat for a few seconds, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool slightly while you make the batter.

Make the Lemon Earl Grey Loaf

4. Preheat your oven to 175°C and grease and line a loaf tin with parchment paper. Leave a little parchment hanging over the sides so you can easily lift the loaf out later.

5. Combine the dry ingredients. Open 1 Earl Grey tea bag and finely grind the tea leaves. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground Earl Grey tea leaves, baking powder and 1/2 tsp (3g) fine salt. Set aside.

6. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar. Add the caster sugar and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar for about 1 minute. The sugar should start to feel slightly damp and smell really lemony. This helps release the oils from the zest and gives the loaf a stronger lemon flavor.

7. Add the oil and eggs. Whisk the neutral oil into the lemon sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition until the mixture is smooth and combined.

8. Add the remaining wet ingredients. Add the Greek yogurt, 25g fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and no large streaks of yogurt remain.

9. Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and gently fold with a spatula until almost combined. Stop while you can still see a few small streaks of flour since you still need to add the Earl Grey milk.

10. Add the Earl Grey milk and butter. Pour in the Earl Grey infused milk and melted butter mixture. Gently fold until the batter is smooth and no streaks of flour or liquid remain. Scrape along the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly incorporated. Avoid overmixing.

11. Fill the loaf tin. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth out the top. Gently tap the tin against the counter once or twice to settle the batter and remove any large air pockets.

12. Bake on the middle rack at 175°C for 45–55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Start checking at around 45 minutes. If you see wet batter on the skewer, continue baking and check again after about 5 minutes.

Make the Lemon Earl Grey Soak

13. Prepare the soak while the loaf bakes. Heat the 60g water in a small saucepan until hot, then remove from the heat and add 1 Earl Grey tea bag. Let it steep, then remove the tea bag.

14. Finish the soak. Add the 45g caster sugar to the Earl Grey tea and stir until completely dissolved. Stir in the 35g fresh lemon juice, then set the soak aside to cool completely while the loaf finishes baking.

Soak and Cool the Loaf

15. Start soaking the loaf while it is warm. Once the loaf comes out of the oven, let it sit in the tin for a few minutes. Brush some of the cooled Earl Grey lemon soak generously over the warm loaf using a pastry brush. Give it a few minutes to absorb before adding more.

16. Continue adding the soak. Brush another layer over the loaf approximately every 10 minutes as it cools, allowing each addition to absorb before adding the next. Continue until you have used all of the soak. Adding it gradually helps the loaf absorb the liquid without making the top overly wet or soggy.

17. Cool completely. Leave the loaf to cool completely before glazing. If the loaf is still warm, the glaze will melt and run off instead of setting into a thick layer on top.

Make the Lemon Glaze

18. Make the glaze. Add the sifted icing sugar, 25g whole milk, 5g fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Whisk until completely smooth.

19. Adjust the consistency. The glaze should be thick but still pourable. If it is too thick, add a little more lemon juice at a time, up to 8g total. Add it gradually since even a small amount of extra liquid can quickly make the glaze too thin.

20. Glaze the loaf. Once completely cool, lift the loaf out of the tin using the parchment paper. Pour the glaze over the top and use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to gently spread it toward the edges, letting some naturally drip down the sides.

21. Garnish the loaf. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle a little fresh lemon zest, dried Earl Grey tea leaves and/or dried edible flowers over the top, if using. You only need a small amount of the tea leaves since they can be quite strong. Make sure any flowers you use are specifically labelled as edible and food-safe.

22. Let the glaze set before slicing. This gives the icing time to firm up and makes the loaf much easier to cut into clean slices.

23. Slice and enjoy.

24. Bon Appétit!