Milk Tea Loaf Cake

This might be the best thing I’ve baked all year… and I’ve baked a lot this year. This Milk Tea Loaf Cake first started out as a yuanyang (coffee and milk tea) bundt cake, but the more I tested it the fussier it felt. Sometimes I pretend I’m a high-level pastry chef in my own kitchen, but I think I’m still recovering from writing Mooncakes and Milk Bread, so I’m entering my relatively simple bakes era. I have to state “relatively” because this recipe still asks you to bring out a mesh sieve to strain out tea leaves, but if you’re creative you can probably opt out of using a mesh sieve.

This tender, moist, and cozy loaf cake has all the rich and deeply caramel-y flavors of Hong Kong Milk Tea. A thin layer of a milk tea powdered sugar glaze is that perfect sugar rush at the start of each bite that’s reminiscent of a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk. Now that the weather in my corner of the world is actually a little grey and chilly, this Milk Tea Loaf Cake is a delightfully cozy and sweet slice to have in the morning… with a cup of hot tea of course!

Milk Tea loaf cake

makes 1 loaf

22g (1/4 cup) loose leaf ceylon tea

295g (1 1/4 cups) heavy cream

250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp coarse salt

227g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

75g (1/3 cup) brown sugar

50g (1/4 cup) white sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

120g (1 cup) powdered sugar
1 to 2 tbsp water

1. In a saucepan, combine tea and heavy cream. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Allow the tea to steep in cream for 10 minutes. Set a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Strain the cream and tea leaves through the mesh, pressing out as much cream from the tea leaves as you can. Discard the tea leaves. You should have a little more than 3/4 cups of tea infused cream. Reserve 2 tbsp of the cream in a separate cup for the glaze.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In the bowl of a standmixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue to mix until mostly incorporated into the butter. Add half the dry ingredients and half the tea infused cream. Mix on a low speed until combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and tea infused cream and continue to mix on low until combined.

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the batter into an even layer, making sure it spreads to the edges. With a mini offset spatula or butter knife, run the tip down the center length of the batter, about 1/2” deep, this allows the loaf to bake up into a really pretty shape.

6. Bake until the loaf is tall and set in the center, test for doneness with a toothpick (if the toothpick comes out clean then it’s ready), 60 to 65 minutes. Allow the loaf to cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes. Lift the loaf out of the pan with the help of the parchment paper and set on a wire rack to fully cool. If the cake is still warm when you apply the glaze, it will run right off.

7. Once the loaf is cool, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine powdered sugar, reserved tea infused cream, and water. A powdered sugar glaze can feel like a living breathing thing because the texture can change drastically. If the glaze is too stiff, add another teaspoon or two of cream or water. If the glaze is too runny, and another tablespoon or two of powdered sugar. The glaze should be thick enough that it doesn’t completely run off the loaf cake. Test consistency on a corner of the cake and adjust if needed. Pour the glaze over the top of the loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to harden and set before slicing and serving.

Storage notes: the loaf cake will keep nice and moist in an airtight container for up to 5 days.