Recipe: Milk Tea Loaf Cake

This tender, moist, and cosy loaf cake has all the rich and deeply caramel-y flavours of Hong Kong Milk Tea. A thin layer of a milk tea powdered sugar glaze creates that perfect sugar rush at the start of each bite that's reminiscent of a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk. 

Ingredients 

• 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

Instructions

To begin with, combine tea and heavy cream in a saucepan and 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 the cream for 10 minutes.

Set a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl or glass measuring jug. Strain the cream and tea leaves through the mesh, pressing out as much cream from the leaves as possible. Discard the tea leaves. You should have a little more than ¾ cup of tea-infused cream. Reserve 2 tbsp in a separate cup for the glaze.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x5-inch loaf tin with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a stand mixer, add butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until mostly incorporated. Add half the dry ingredients and half the tea-infused cream. Mix on low speed until combined, then repeat with the remaining dry mix and cream.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf tin, smoothing it into an even layer that reaches the edges. With a small offset spatula or butter knife, run the tip down the centre length of the batter, about ½ inch deep—this helps the loaf bake into a neat shape.

Bake until the loaf is tall and set in the centre, 60 to 65 minutes. Test with a toothpick; if it comes out clean, it's ready. Allow the loaf to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift it out with the help of the parchment and place on a wire rack to cool completely. If the cake is still warm when glazed, the topping will run off.

Once the loaf is cool, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, the reserved tea-infused cream, and water. If the glaze is too stiff, add a teaspoon or two of cream or water; if too runny, add a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar. The glaze should be thick enough not to slide off completely. Pour over the loaf, letting it drip naturally down the sides. Allow it to set before slicing and serving.

Storage: The loaf cake will stay moist in an airtight container for up to 5 days.