Got a call from my husband…

Hubby (nervous): I got your XX account locked.

Me: Hey, no worries, babe. So, what’s wrong?

Hubby (sobbing): I failed to answer the security questions.

Me: What questions?

Hubby (burst out crying): Your favorite things, color and stuff.

I’m officially furious!

Earl Grey Chiffon

(Adapted from Savoury Days)

A. Earl Grey Chiffon

For 10” chiffon pan (for a cake about 2.5″ height)
(Increase the ingredient by 150% if you want a taller cake)

1 tsp Earl Grey tea leaves (slightly smashed, I use a granite mortar and pestle)
20 ml boiling water
6 egg yolks
20 g sugar
75 ml milk
45 g canola oil
120 g cake flour (or 105 g all-purpose flour + 15 g corn starch, sifted)
6 egg white
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
105 g sugar

B. Boba pearls (optional)

Half a package of dried boba pearls, about 120 g (I used WuFuYuan brand – you can buy from Amazon here)
25 g dark brown sugar

C. Earl Grey cream

2 egg yolk
50 g sugar
20g corn starch
200 ml milk
2 tsp Earl Grey leaves
100 g heavy cream

D. Cream cheese frosting

90 ml milk
30 g sugar
1 pinch salt
30g unsalted butter
150 g cream cheese
225 g heavy cream

To make Earl Grey Chiffon:

1. Preheat oven to 280 F.
2. Steep 1 tsp smashed Earl-Grey tea in 20 ml boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until light yellow.
4. Add milk, canola oil, and tea (both tea water and tea leaves). Mix well.
5. Whisk in sifted cake flour.
6. In another large bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt, cream of tartar, and sugar until stiff.
7. Whisk 1/3 egg whites into the yolk-flour mixture in (5).
8. Fold the remaining 2/3 egg whites.
9. Pour the batter into a 10″ chiffon pan.
10. Cover loosely with a piece of aluminium foil.  Bake for 1 hour.
11. Remove the aluminium foil.
12. Increase temperature to 310 F. Bake for another 20 minutes.

To make Boba pearls (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, boil 7 cup of water.
2. Add 1/2 package of dried boba pearls (about 120 g)
3. Cook, uncovered, until the boba pearls float to the surface, about 5 minutes.
4. Strain cooked boba pearls into a bowl of cold water for 10 seconds, just enough to avoid sticking.
5. Reserve boba pearls in a small bowl.
6. Add dark brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.

To make Earl Grey cream

1. Use a handheld mixer to whisk egg yolk with sugar until light yellow.
2. Add corn starch.
3. In a saucepan, heat milk with 1 tsp Earl Grey leaves. Turn off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes.
4. Discard tea leaves. Strain tea-infused milk into yolk mixture in (2).
5. Heat milk-yolk mixture in a saucepan until thicken. Set aside until cool.
6. Use a handheld mixer to whip heavy-cream until stiff.
7. Use a spatula to fold whipped heavy-cream into yolk custard in (5). Set aside.

To make cream-cheese frosting 

1. In a saucepan, heat milk, sugar, and butter until melted.
2. Turn off the heat.
3. Add cream cheese to the mixture.
4. Use a handheld mixer to whisk the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Set aside until cool.
5. Use a handheld mixer to whip heavy-cream until stiff.
6. Use a spatula to fold whipped heavy-cream into cream cheese mixture. Set aside.

Assemble the cake

1. Slice the cake horizontally into 2 layers.
2. Spread a thin layer of Earl Grey cream on the bottom layer, on the side, and on the top.
3. Mix the remaining Earl Grey cream with 2/3 of the boba pearls.
4. Fill the center of the chiffon cake with Earl Grey – boba mixture.
5. Pour cream cheese frosting on top. Let the frosting fall naturally on the side of the cake.
6. Add the remaining boba pearls.
   •  Note: Only mix and add the boba pearls to the cake before serving. Otherwise, they can lose their chewing texture when staying too long in the cold cream.

Another simple way of enjoying this Earl Grey cake: serve the plain cake with cream cheese frosting on the side.