Earl Grey Loaf Cake

For the infused milk

1. Steep 2 tea bags with the milk in a saucepan over low heat.  Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the infused milk cool completely.
3. Discard the tea bags and pour the infused milk in a jar.  Set aside.

For the cake batter

1. Preheat the oven to 170 ℃ / 325 ℉.
2. Prepare a loaf tin, line it with parchment paper (unless you have a non-stick tin)
3. Cream the softened butter by mashing it with a spatula in a medium mixing bowl and add the icing sugar.  Mix until just combined.
4. Mix with a hand held mixer until pale and fluffy.
5. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Beat one well before adding the next. If it starts to curdle, don’t worry, it will all be smoothed in with the dry ingredients.
6. Add in the cooled infused milk and mix well.
7. Place a sift on top of the mixing bowl, sift in flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt. If you find the ground almonds are not sifting easily, use the back of a spoon to press them through.
8. Gently mix the cake batter,using a spatula, until there are no dry ingredients visible.
9. Add in the tea dust of 2 tea bags and fold it into the batter.
10. Add in the zest of a lemon and mix until everything is well incorporated.
11. Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin. Smooth out the surface using a spatula for even baking.
12. Load the 20 g softened butter in a piping bag and cut a small hole at the top. Pipe a line right down the centre of the batter to help create the split.

Bake the cake

1. Bake the cake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Please keep a careful eye on it as the baking time might vary depending on the oven.
2. Once done, remove the pan from the oven. Let the cake sit in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes until you can remove it from the pan manually without burning yourself.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the lemon sugar syrup, combine the water, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat. Let it simmer gently until the sugar dissolves completely and the syrup becomes clear.
4. While the cake is still warm, brush it generously with the lemon-infused syrup. Let it soak in for a few minutes.
5. Allow the cake to cool down completely on a wire rack. You can either serve it as it is or drizzle icing on top (recommended).

Prepare the icing

1. Heat up the milk and place in an Earl Grey tea bag. Let it infuse for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Mix the infused milk with icing sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture becomes a relatively thin or pipeable consistency, just like soft frosting.
3. Load it in a piping bag (or zip-lock bag) and secure it with a rubber band.
4. Cut a small hole at the top of the bag and pipe the icing generously on the top of the cake to your liking.
5. Finally, sprinkle zest of a lemon on top as a tasty garnish.
6. Slice and enjoy!