Easy Mint Tea Cake recipe

Infused with mint tea, this recipe offers a refreshing twist on the classic Earl Grey tea cake, with a soft, crumbly texture. Finished with smooth brown sugar buttercream for a delicate, caramel-like sweetness. Choose your favourite mint tea blend to customise the flavour and make this cake your own!

Get creative!

Each of our mint tea blends works surprisingly well in this delicious cake recipe, and you can even combine them by using a different flavour for the buttercream. Our personal favourites include: Berry Floral, Sweet Citrus, and Chocolate Orange, but if you want a classic minty taste, then Pure Mint tastes great too.

Recipe Details
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 60 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the batter

  • 380g plain flour
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 225g butter (softened)
  • 12g mint tea
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 240ml milk
  • 85g honey
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the buttercream

  • 120g butter
  • 100g dark or light brown sugar
  • 425g powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1g mint tea (optional)

Method:

  1. Start by preparing the buttercream. Pour the brown sugar into a mixing bowl, sifting out any large pieces, and add the butter and vanilla extract.

  2. Mix the ingredients together until smooth, then mix in the powdered sugar until it becomes light and fluffy.

  3. Add the milk and mint tea, then stir again until both are fully incorporated into the buttercream. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to stay cool until ready to use.

  4. Next, grab a saucepan and heat up the milk for the cake batter, taking it off heat when it starts to simmer. Place 6g of mint tea into the hot milk, in either a reusable tea bag or a tea strainer, and let sit until cooled.

  5. In a large bowl, mix together the honey, butter, and sugar. When smooth, add one egg at a time and stir thoroughly between each one.

  6. Remove the tea from the milk, then add the milk, lemon zest, and the remaining 6g of loose mint tea to the batter, mixing until fully incorporated.

  7. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix again.

  8. Grease or line two round cake tins, or one loaf pan if you prefer, and preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan assisted).

  9. Pour the batter into the prepared tins and bake for 1 hour. If the cake is browning on top too fast, cover it with aluminium foil halfway through baking.

  10. Check the cake is finished by poking a butter knife into the centre to see if it comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

  11. Cut the rounded parts of the cake off and add a thin layer of buttercream on top of both halves of the cake. Stack them and add the rest of the buttercream around the sides of the cake. Decorate with lemon slices and enjoy!

Baking with mint tea

Once baked and decorated, this cake makes a wonderfully fragrant treat that’s perfect for sharing. If you’re looking for another way to use mint tea in your baking, why not try our mint chocolate chip cookies as well?