• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Polka Dotter

Baking a bit of beauty into every day

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Portfolio

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake

September 2, 2022 by Salma 2 Comments

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter

Blood orange season is a beautiful yet fleeting one, boldly emerging with the spring blossoms. As the most vibrant member of the citrus family, the rosy blood orange is a welcome change to the fading grey of winter. Blood oranges are paired with earl grey in this simple yet elegant bundt cake; a showstopper infused with heady bergamot undertones, then soaked in earl grey syrup to intensify the tea flavour and aroma. A gorgeous candy-coloured blood orange glaze perfectly complements the citrus notes, while lemon glaze stripes add a playful tangy twist.

This recipe was created for and sponsored by Harris Farm Markets, my favourite place to visit for all seasonal produce. The idea for the whimsical striped citrus icing was inspired by this amazing blood orange cake by The Boy Who Bakes.

Baking Notes
I would recommend using high-quality earl grey tea with a strong bergamot aroma and flavour for best results. Loose leaf tea is preferable to tea bags, as it is typically of superior quality and flavour, although a small muslin bag will be required for infusing the tea in melted butter. Tea bags can be substituted for loose leaf tea, although the quality and quantity varies greatly between brands, with one gram of loose leaf roughly equivalent to one tea bag. Additionally, if using tea bags for the syrup, they may absorb too much of the syrup themselves given the small quantity, so I would recommend doubling the sugar and water quantities to ensure ample syrup to soak the cake.

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter
Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter
Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter
Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter
Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter
Print

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

This elegant bundt cake is infused with bergamot notes, soaked earl grey tea syrup and drizzled in a striped citrus glaze of blood orange and lemon.

  • Author: Salma

Ingredients

Scale

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake

  • 200g unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
  • 125ml whole milk
  • 10g earl grey tea (or 10 tea bags)
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 50g brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 240g plain flour, sifted
  • 50g fine semolina
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • Zest of 2 medium blood oranges
  • Juice of 1 medium blood orange (approximately 60ml)

Earl Grey Syrup

  • 60ml (1/4 cup) water
  • 55g caster sugar
  • 2g earl grey tea (or 2 tea bags)
  • ½ tsp vanilla paste

Citrus Striped Icing

  • 280g icing sugar
  • Juice of ½ medium blood orange (approximately 30ml), strained
  • 1–2 tbsp lemon juice, strained

Instructions

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake

  1. Melt butter and milk in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring gently until hot and steamy. Remove from heat. Place tea leaves in a muslin bag, then place the bag in the saucepan ensuring it is fully submerged (if using tea bags, simply place them straight in the melted butter mixture). Stir and allow to steep for 60 minutes. When ready to use, remove muslin bag, squeezing to extract maximum flavour.
  2. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced), set oven rack in lower third of the oven and heavily grease a 20cm 5 cup capacity bundt pan.
  3. Beat together eggs and sugars until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes, then add the tea mixture and beat on low speed until combined, followed by vanilla and blood orange zest.
  4. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt, then mix together with semolina.
  5. Add one third of the sifted dry ingredients while beating on low speed, then one third of the blood orange juice. Continue alternating batches of dry ingredients and juice until batter is smooth, taking care not to overmix.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cover cake for the last 5-10 minutes of baking time if starting to brown significantly.
  7. Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a plate with a lip and drizzle with warm earl grey syrup. Allow to cool completely.
  8. If the cake sticks to the pan, placing the pan cake-side-up in a tray filled with 3-4cm of boiling water for 2-3 minutes expands the cake pan and allows easier release. Take great care not to burn yourself and do not allow the water to come into direct contact with the cake.

Earl Grey Syrup

  1. Read baking notes carefully regarding ingredient quantities, as these differ slightly if using teabags. If using teabags, double the quantities of sugar and water.
  2. Simmer water, sugar and tea leaves (or tea bags) in a medium saucepan until the ingredients thicken into a syrup, then add vanilla. Allow to steep for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Strain syrup (or remove tea bags if using), squeezing to extract maximum flavour.
  4. Pour the warm syrup over the warm cake, allowing the syrup to soak in as the cake cools.

Citrus Striped Icing

  1. Mix 200g of icing sugar together with blood orange juice. If icing is too thick, add a little more juice, and if it is too thin, add a little more sugar.
  2. Mix the remaining 80g of icing sugar together with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. If icing is too thick, add a little more juice, and if it is too thin, add a little more sugar.

To Serve

  1. Place bundt cake on serving plate and drizzle blood orange icing over cake, allowing a little bit to drip over the sides. Drizzle the lemon icing on top in a striped pattern, either using a spoon or a piping bag fitted with a narrow round nozzle for greater control.

Enjoy!

Notes

Makes a 20cm (5 cup capacity) bundt cake and serves 8-10 people

Baking Notes
I would recommend using high-quality earl grey tea with a strong bergamot aroma and flavour for best results. Loose leaf tea is preferable to tea bags, as it is typically of superior quality and flavour, although a small muslin bag will be required for infusing the tea in melted butter. Tea bags can be substituted for loose leaf tea, although the quality and quantity varies greatly between brands, with one gram of loose leaf roughly equivalent to one tea bag. Additionally, if using tea bags for the syrup, they may absorb too much of the syrup themselves given the small quantity, so I would recommend doubling the sugar and water quantities to ensure ample syrup to soak the cake.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thepolkadotter on Instagram and hashtag it #polkadotbakes

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter

You may also like:
Blood Orange & Almond Teacakes {Gluten-free}
Blood Orange Cardamom Syrup Cake
Persian Love Blood Orange Cake

Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: Blood orange, Bundt, Citrus, Earl Grey, Orange, Tea

Previous Post: « White Chocolate Wattleseed Cake + Passionfruit Curd
Next Post: Macadamia Gingerbread & Raspberry Trifle »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Krishna Polina

    March 4, 2023 at 3:32 pm

    Just tried this today and honestly didn’t expect this to taste this good as I am not a fan of tea. But, Early Grey syrup touch took this cake to next level.






    Reply
    • Salma

      March 17, 2023 at 3:45 pm

      Hi Krishna,
      Thank you so much for your kind words and for giving this recipe a 5 star rating. Earl grey tea and blood oranges are two of my favourite things to eat and use in baking, so it only seemed a natural fit to create this recipe. I love the earl grey syrup as well – keeps it deliciously moist. I’m delighted to hear you’ve had such a positive experience baking my recipes and hope you continue to find baking inspiration here.

      Kindest,
      Salma

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Salma Sabdia | Food Photography

Hi, I’m Salma, and I love creating beautiful images and sweet treats. If you’re looking for a little baking inspiration, you’ve come to the right place.

SaveSave

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Instagram

A friend recently reminded me of these buns, and I A friend recently reminded me of these buns, and I’ve had a craving ever since. Because how can you go wrong with sour cherry and dark chocolate?

If you, too, now have the same craving, the recipe is linked in my profile 🤎
Same cake. Different sizes. Which Earl Grey Laven Same cake. Different sizes.

Which Earl Grey Lavender Cake would you pick - 6” layers for 12 or the teeny tiny 4” version for 2?

Recipe linked in profile 🤎
This is not a celebration cake. It’s a cake of p This is not a celebration cake. It’s a cake of pure comfort.

After a recent baking lull, I put it to you, our Instagram baking community to vote on the flavours you wanted to see in my next recipe.

The results? Rhubarb, almond and cardamom were clear winners, and after sourcing the loveliest bunch of rhubarb at the farmers market, this recipe was born.

May this simple buttery cake warm your kitchen and your heart 🩷

Recipe linked in profile
Chai poached pears - the easiest and most comforti Chai poached pears - the easiest and most comforting dessert you’ll make this autumn. Salted caramel optional, but totally worth it 🤎 

Recipe linked in profile
My fine art photography print series has arrived! My fine art photography print series has arrived!

The perfect gift for the baker in your life, or treat yourself with a stylish addition to your kitchen, bedroom or home office.

This limited edition debut collection symbolises the joy of human connection through food, honouring the notion of blending nature with cake in a vibrant harmony.

Only 25 prints available worldwide | Shop the link in my profile if you’d love to make one yours

#fineartphotographyprints #photographyprints #giftsforthehome #giftsforbakers
🌟 A LOVELY GIVEAWAY 🌟 I’m launching a co 🌟 A LOVELY GIVEAWAY 🌟 

I’m launching a collection of fine art photography prints next week. And to thank you for your support, I’d love to give one away.

These prints are an elegant celebration of the joy of human connection through food, honouring the beauty and stillness of blending nature with cake in a vibrant harmony.

To enter:
1. Like this post 💫
2. Comment below with your favourite image: 1, 2, or 3.
3. Sign up to my mailing list via the link in my profile.

Ensure you’ve completed all 3 steps for a valid entry.

The winner will receive one unframed A3 fine art print, professionally printed in Australia on luxurious gallery-quality paper using archival inks.

Entries close: 11:59pm AEST, April 15
Winner will be notified via email on April 16

Thank you for being part of this launch – I’m so thrilled to share this new creative chapter with you.

Find the full Terms & Conditions in the comments below.
First look at something special I’ve been workin First look at something special I’ve been working on.. a fine art photography print collection!

I know so many of you have loved baking my recipes over the years, and would love the opportunity to add a touch of cake sophistication to your kitchen or home.

So I’m excited to launch a series of art prints next week showcasing your favourite cake images.

Priority access will be given to mailing list subscribers, so if you would love to secure your print before they launch to the general public, please take a moment to join my mailing list.

Find the link in my profile 😊
Sharing one last fig recipe before this glorious s Sharing one last fig recipe before this glorious season comes to a close.

I originally created this recipe for my former baking blog six years ago, albeit in miniature form. This season I’ve reimagined it in a classic rectangular design, but rest assured, the same enticing spiced pomegranate syrup is still there in all its glory.

If you’ve been on the hunt for a celebratory dessert that heroes juicy fresh figs, I hope your search ends here!

Recipe linked in profile
A month of meringue kisses! 🤍 It would appear A month of meringue kisses! 🤍 

It would appear that cardamom + rosewater meringues were the theme of last month, culminating in one last round of this Elegant Mess to celebrate a joyful Eid. 

I would love to know your favourite 😊

1. Pink Passionfruit Curd Cake
2. Fig & Blackberry Pavlova
3. Elegant Mess

And find all the recipes linked in my profile 😊
Follow @thepolkadotter on Instagram

Latest Blog Posts

Blood Orange + Earl Grey Bundt Cake | The Polka Dotter
Sour Cherry & Chocolate Heart Crust Buns
Roasted Plum Swirl Ice Cream | The Polka Dotter
Blackberry & Chocolate Cupcakes | The Polka Dotter
Honey Lavender Ice Cream | The Polka Dotter
Rosewater Panna Cotta + Fresh Figs | The Polka Dotter
Chocolate Macadamia Black Sesame Cake | The Polka Dotter
strawberry-macadamia-mango-ice-cream-terrine
gingerbread-cookies-with-lemon-icing

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework