earl grey cake + honey buttercream frosting

 

happy canada day & happy fourth of july weekend!!!! this might be my favourite cake to date. i was beyond excited with how it turned out. literally jumped for joy haha. not only with the flavour combinations of the earl grey tea + honey, but that grey ombre frosting too. i think i am starting to fall in love with grey frosted cakes. the piped topping looks difficult to create, but it was easy peasy. i used all the left over frosting colours, two piping tips (one small star & one large star) & went piping crazy! you can make any design you like on the top & it will automatically look perfect. for this cake i used a special type of earl grey tea from stash tea. it contains double bergamot, so it has an extra strong flavour which comes through once the cakes are baked. i wonder what else i can infuse this earl grey into, i absolutely LOVE it! anyways, have an amazing long weekend with lots of BBQ, drinks & desserts:) xo

ingredients

for the earl grey cake

for the honey buttercream frosting

  • 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup raw honey
  • 3 cups icing sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

  • preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • in a saucepan over low heat add the milk & loose leaf tea. let simmer for five minutes to infuse the tea into the milk. do not let the mixture come to a boil. remove from heat & let cool to room temperature. strain out tea.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar.
  • add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract & oil. mix until light and fluffy.
  • in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt & finely ground tea. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
  • once flour is JUST combined into the wet ingredients, add the infused milk.
  • evenly distribute batter amongst two greased 8-inch round cake pans.
  • bake each layer for about 18-20 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
  • let cakes cool completely before frosting.
  • for the frosting add butter, honey, icing sugar & vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
  • frost as desired! i used a touch of black food colouring & turned it into a grey ombre cake.

this post was created in partnership with stash tea. you can find the double bergamot earl grey tea i used here! it has a stronger bergamot flavour then regular earl grey tea which means the tea flavour comes through perfectly in the cake.  

like what you see? get it here. japanese tea pot | twig tea scoop | mug | cake stand | plates | flatware

salted chocolate fudge sauce

 

now that i have an ice cream maker & can make all sorts of flavours this summer, it only seemed fitting to make a fudge sauce to grace that homemade ice cream with! growing up, a mcdonald's hot fudge sundae after a soccer game was everything. now, here is my grown up version of that same nostalgic sundae adding a touch of sea salt to the mix. because i am older now, adding sea salt makes it seem more sophisticated #adulting. drizzle on homemade vanilla ice cream, your favourite store bought flavour, or let's be real.. just eat it with a spoon because it is that good.

anyways, i am going to keep this one short because i have literally been elbows deep in buttercream this week baking & frosting a ton of cakes. can not wait till you see the one i am posting to the blog next week.. spoiler alert: it is earl grey flavoured, eek!

ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 5-6 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped (i used lindt dark chocolate)
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

directions

  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the sugar, cream, corn syrup & butter. cook until sugar fully dissolves, do not let mixture come to a boil.
  • stir in chocolate, salt & vanilla. once chocolate is fully incorporated, remove from heat.
  • strain into a glass jar & refrigerate until ready to use. sauce can be served both hot and cold!
  • sprinkle with a touch of sea salt when serving over vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

like what you see? get it here. copper saucepan | salt jar | linen | flatware | bowl

roasted blueberry green tea ice cream

 

i scream, you scream, we ALL scream for... green ice cream?! wait what. YES this ice cream is vibrant green thank you to aiya's matcha powder. i am getting good use out of my ice cream maker this summer whipping up ice cream flavours that aren't available in grocery stores, or probably even ice cream shops! first the cinnamon toast ice cream over on the crate + barrel blog, made with homemade cinnamon toast bits & now today's roasted blueberry green tea ice cream made with freshly roasted blueberries. i used two types of sweetener in this recipe; white sugar & honey. it is not often you see honey being added into ice cream recipes but the combination of green tea & honey seemed fitting. to flavour this ice cream i used aiya's cooking grade matcha powder because the cooking grade blend flavours come through even when other ingredients are added to the mix! the best advice i can give you if you are making ice cream for the first time is LET THE BASE CHILL. i made that mistake the first time i made ice cream & it never froze properly. i know you are going to be as eager & excited as i was but just wait & let it cool completely! make the base in the morning & churn the ice cream right before bed. you will wake up to the perfect ice cream for breakfast:)

p.s. i hope everyone had a lovely father's day weekend! i spoiled my dad with those spicy bacon bloody mary's & ribfest as promised!

ingredients

for the roasted blueberry green tea ice cream

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup raw honey
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons aiya matcha powder (i used the cooking grade)
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup roasted blueberries (see recipe below)

for the roasted blueberries

  • 1 pint fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon sugar or honey

directions

for the roasted blueberry green tea ice cream

  • chill the ice cream bowl in the freezer overnight if required.
  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the milk & matcha powder. bring to a simmer & remove from heat. whisk until the matcha is evenly distributed.
  • in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks, white sugar & honey until light + fluffy.
  • temper in a cup of the matcha milk, whisking vigorously to ensure eggs do not cook.
  • pour mixture back into the saucepan & cook on low heat until it slightly thickens.
  • strain base into a mixing bowl and stir in heavy cream. let the ice cream base cool overnight in the refrigerator covered. do not skip this step, ice cream will be too soft if mixture isn't chilled properly.
  • transfer into an ice cream bowl and churn for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • once ready, stir in roasted blueberries & freeze in a loaf pan until frozen solid.

for the roasted blueberries

  • preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • toss blueberries in sugar or honey.
  • place on a parchment lined baking sheet & cook for 12-15 minutes or until the berries begin to burst open.
  • let cool completely.

this post was created in partnership with aiya america. you can find the cooking grade matcha powder i used here. thank you for supporting the brands that keep modest marce up & running! xo

like what you see? get it here. bowls | gold spoons | linen | falk copper pot