Earl Grey Tea Cake

...with dark chocolate and orange zest, and topped with tea-infused mascarpone whipped cream.

Last year a friend recommended this recipe from NYT Cooking, and being a big fan of earl grey in desserts and anything with (homemade) whipped cream, I knew I had to give it a try. During a season when there's a lot of sugary treats and it can get to be a little too much at times, I find this one to be a more sophisticated, subtle, and light option, with lots of fun flavor notes. And while it's impressive in description, it's actually relatively easy to make!

Here's the link to the recipe:

Earl Grey Tea Cake from NYT Cooking

A few notes from my baking experience:

1. I used bags of organic earl grey tea instead of loose leaf. 2-3 bags to steep the heavy cream in, and 3 bags in the cake itself. If using loose leaf, I think you'll want to grind it finer for the cake--either by pulsing it in a food processor with the flour or crushing it on its own.

2. I added a cinnamon sugar on top just because I felt like it, I think a cardamom sugar blend could be pretty tasty and fit in the flavor palate too!

3. Use a dark chocolate bar, finely chopped, rather than chocolate chips, it'll help distribute the flavor better and give you the sophisticated speckled cross section!

Here are some photos!