March 2026 marks the one year anniversary of us moving to London, and I am so glad we did. To celebrate, I’ve made a love letter to the city, in cake form. Specifically, a London Fog Cake, and I think it’s one of my favourite sweet treats I’ve ever made.
I’m not the biggest fan of classic buttercream: I find it can be a bit heavy, almost too buttery. Instead, I’ve paired mascarpone with double cream and whipped it to soft peaks. The result is light and fresh, with a hint of blood orange.
The cake itself is infused with Earl Grey (one of my favourite cuppas) and generously soaked with an Earl Grey–condensed milk drizzle, giving it a very moist crumb.
LONDON FOG CAKE WITH BLOOD ORANGE ICING
To mark our first year in the ‘Big Smoke’, I baked one of my all-time favourite cakes: a London Fog Cake, finished with a delicious blood orange buttercream.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp loose Earl Grey tea (make sure it is loose, the pre-ground stuff doesn't have such a vibrant flavour)
- 140 g unsalted butter softened
- 300 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs at room temperature
- 240 ml buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 285 g plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
For the drizzle
- 120 ml whole milk
- 2 tbsp loose Earl Grey tea
- 150 g sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- zest of 1 blood orange
Blood Orange Mascarpone Icing
- 250 g mascarpone cheese
- 500 ml double cream
- 150 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- zest of 1 blood orange
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 170°c (fan-assisted) and grease and/or line a 9×9-inch brownie tin.
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We’ll start by making the cake. Bash the Earl Grey tea into a very powder with a pestle and mortar (if you have a spice/coffee grinder, even better- it really does need to be very very fine, otherwise you’ll end up with a grainy cake texture).
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Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric whisk to beat it for a few minutes, until fluffy and lighter in colour. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla.
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In a separate bowl, combine the Earl Grey tea, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Sieve the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (discard any tea left in the sieve), folding as you go, until you have a smooth, combined batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, then bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
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Meanwhile, you can make the drizzle. Warm the milk in a small pan over a very low heat (making sure it never comes to a boil). Add the Earl Grey and let it sleep for 15 minutes, until the milk has reduced by about half, then remove it from the heat.
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Strain the concentrated milk into a jug, discarding the Earl Grey tea left in the sieve. Add the condensed milk, vanilla bean paste and orange zest, then set aside and allow to cool.
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Next, you can make the frosting. Beat the mascarpone cheese in a bowl for a minute or so, just to loosen it up. In another mixing bowl, combine the double cream, icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and a little pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat on a low speed until the cream starts to thicken. Add the mascarpone cheese and blood orange zest, then beat gently until it has reached soft peaks (be really careful not to over whisk it here – it can turn really quickly).
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Now we are ready to assemble the cake! Slice a very thin layer off the top of the cake (which will help the drizzle absorb) and place it onto your serving plate. Use a chopstick and poke holes all over the cake, then pour the drizzle evenly and very slowly over the top, letting it absorb in before pouring more. Ice with the blood orange mascarpone, and you are done.
If your sweet tooth also travels to breakfast, you’ll enjoy my Poached Rhubarb & Ginger Granola recipe. Or, if you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, check out my Instagram.
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