i love earl grey, not so much of drinking (with the exception of latte) but rather incorporating it into desserts. i've tried my hands at earl grey macarons, ice cream and creme brulee and i really liked how all of them turn out. like matcha, i find earl grey pretty versatile to use in baking. i don't usually make pound cakes but given a flavor like this, its hard to resist and i can see why its so popular.

this recipe is from the same site where i got the japanese hotcakes. flavor wise, it was really good. the earl grey packed a punch and it wasn't too sweet, i even added some lemon zest for a good measure. but i wasn't exactly happy with the texture. it didn't use any liquid with the exception of 1 tbsp lemon juice, hence it was rather dry and crumbly. i skipped the portion of brown sugar since the recipe (or rather, google translate) said it was ok to. not sure if it made any difference. i might try adding more liquid next time to see if it'll taste better. the recipe also didn't specify what flour to use hence i used all purpose flour, should have gone with my instinct to use cake flour for a finer texture but i usually like sticking to a recipe for a first attempt without changing anything so i know what the original tastes like.

recipe source : 簡単お菓子レシピ cake recipe

100g unsalted butter, room temp
70g sugar
2 eggs
7.5g Earl Grey tea leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
100g flour
10g cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and tea leaves. set aside.
- whisk together butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add in
eggs one at a time and whisk until combined. add in lemon juice,
followed by the flour mixture.
- pour mixture into a 17cm loaf tin lined with parchment paper and
bake on 170C for 45-50 mins until skewer inserted into the cake comes
out clean.