Cardamom Tea Loaf with Earl Grey Glaze

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Tender and fragrant, this cardamom cake is a wonderful afternoon snack or simple cake to serve for dessert.

For years, some of my favorite things to bake have been quick breads, aka tea cakes or tea loafs.

They’re easy to make and are perfect for cutting off a slice and enjoying over the week, so I was surprised to realize I’ve only shared a few of these recipes with you all.

Granted, the classic zucchini bread and chunky monkey banana bread are both really good, but still. I’ve been holding back from you.

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices, so naturally I turned to it for this recipe. It’s reminiscent of a pound cake, though not quite as dense. Make a cup of tea and linger over a slice of this cake!

Ingredients for cardamom cake

You’ll need:

• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Large eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Cardamom
• Salt
• Heavy cream (heavy whipping cream)
• Milk: I use 2% most often because that’s what I keep on hand
• Earl Grey tea
• Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)

If you prefer to leave out the almond extract, just bump up the vanilla to make up for it.

Use a good quality Earl Grey tea that you like drinking. We’ll steep it milk to create a fragrant glaze.

baking with cardamom

You might be familiar with cardamom from Indian cooking, but it’s also a very popular ingredient in Scandinavian recipes, especially baking.

You can buy cardamom pods, whole seeds, or pre-ground. As with any pre-ground spice, the flavor won’t be as strong, but it’s certainly easier for most folks.

If you buy the pods, remove the cardamom seeds and grind them with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. I use a coffee grinder for my spices as it makes quick work of them. (Just make sure clean it well if you also have to use it for coffee!)

This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom. You might be tempted to add more, but with freshly ground cardamom a little goes a long way, so I recommend making this as written the first time!

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8×4-inch loaf pan, or line with parchment paper. You can use a 9×5-inch pan if you like; the cake will just be a little squatter.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer or using a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next, then add the extracts. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground cardamom, and salt.

Combine the cream and milk in a liquid measuring cup.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients and flour mixture to the sugar mixture, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Make sure to let the cake cool completely before glazing, or the glaze will just melt into the cake. If you’re not glazing, you still want the cake to be cooled so you have the best final texture.

how to make earl grey glaze

Cardamom and tea are perfect matches, so I glazed this cake with a simple Earl Grey glaze. It makes me think back to afternoon teas in London!

To make a flavored glaze, all you need to do is infuse the milk first with tea bags. Warm the milk in a microwave-save measuring cup (or on the stove), add the tea bags, and let steep!

You can make extra infused milk for a steamer or to make a lovely Earl Grey Hot Chocolate. I also recommend Earl Grey Ice Cream, which uses a stovetop infusing method with cream instead of milk.

Make sure you let the milk cool completely before adding it to the powdered sugar. I recommend putting it into the refrigerator while the bread bakes and cools.

This tea loaf keeps well at room temperature for about a week. I recommend wrapping it in plastic wrap or storing it in a resealable bag or cake container. Keeping it on the countertop will help keep it more moist than storing in the refrigerator.

You can also slice the loaf and freeze the pieces individually to eat whenever the mood strikes. Thaw slices at room temp or pop frozen into the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Grab a slice for your midafternoon snack and enjoy!

Cardamom Cake with Earl Grey Glaze

This buttery loaf cake is flavored with cardamom and Earl Grey glaze for a lovely afternoon snack.

Author : Megan Myers

4 from 4 votes

Print Pin Recipe Review

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings 10

Calories per serving 452 kcal

Ingredients

  

1/2x1x2x3x

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk

For the glaze

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Earl Grey tea bags
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8×4-inch loaf pan and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla and almond extracts.
  1 cup granulated sugar, 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt.
  2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Combine the heavy cream and milk.
  1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup milk
• Alternate adding the flour mixture and cream mixture to the large bowl, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
• While loaf is cooling, make the glaze. Heat milk in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup (or in a small saucepan on the stove), then add tea bags. Cover and let steep 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags, squeezing out extra liquid, and put milk into the fridge to cool.
  1/4 cup milk, 2 Earl Grey tea bags
• When loaf is cooled, whisk half of the steeped milk into the powdered sugar, adding more as needed in small increments to achieve a pourable glaze.
  2 cups powdered sugar
• Place rack with loaf on it on top of a baking sheet or tray and pour glaze over the loaf. Let glaze harden before serving.

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• Silicone Spatula Set 
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• USA Pan 1 1/4 Pound Loaf Pan

Nutrition

Calories: 452 kcalCarbohydrates: 64 gProtein: 5 gFat: 20 gSaturated Fat: 12 gCholesterol: 106 mgSodium: 150 mgPotassium: 134 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 45 gIron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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