Chocolate Earl Grey Faux Soufflés

Chocolate Earl Grey Faux Soufflés are the dessert you need when you’ve spent way too much time focusing on dinner, and not enough time thinking about Part Deux. These cakes are easy-to-make, perfectly portioned, and most importantly…they’re delicious!

A few months ago, I shared a recipe for Matcha Mug Cake that showcased the earthy taste and beautiful green color of matcha. Today’s recipe uses another one of my favorite teas, Earl Grey, in a recipe that will transform your everyday chocolate mug cake into a dessert that’s sophisticated, homey, and deliciously unique.

The main flavoring that makes a good Earl Grey tea distinctive is bergamot. The bergamot citrus fruit is bright and fragrant like a sour orange is, although it’s not as sour as a lemon and not as sweet as an orange. Typically, the essential oils found in the rind of this fruit are extracted and then added to black tea leaves to give the steep it’s characteristic floral taste.

According to the Twinings site, the tea was given to the 2nd Earl Grey, the British Prime Minister, in the early 1800’s by “a Chinese mandarin.” Earl Grey loved the blend so much that he asked the tea maker, Twinings, to recreate what came to be known as “Earl Grey’s mixture,” a bergamot-infused black tea. As the blend’s popularity grew, it later became available to others and has since become one of Twinings’ best selling teas.

In this easy recipe, rich dark cocoa powder provides a base for the Earl Grey tea to shine. I create an infused tea milk in the first step so that the tea leaves soften and release more of their bergamot flavor. To enhance the same citrus taste, I also add fresh orange and lemon zest to these tender, chocolatey cakes. A few stirs and a quick spin in the microwave, and the cakes cook up light, fluffy, and incredibly moist.earl grey souffle_

Serve these Chocolate Earl Grey Faux Soufflés at the end of a meal as an after-dinner tea and dessert all wrapped up in one cute little package. If you love the fragrant combination of orange and chocolate, then you’ll love these cakes. What you’ll love even more is how fast this recipe comes together…seriously, 5 minutes and you’re in chocolate heaven!

For cakes this beautiful and tasty, it almost feels strange how simple this recipe is. So, if you prefer a fancier finish and have time to plan ahead, place a few of the same Earl Grey tea bags in with some heavy cream to cold-steep in the fridge overnight. Simply whip the cream to soft peaks right before serving, add a small mound over each cake, and you’ll have a yummy Earl Grey whipped cream to bring all the fragrant flavors together. Unadorned, these decadent cakes are amazingly delicious, but served warm with a dollop of Earl Grey whipped cream? Just incredible!

Chocolate Earl Grey Faux Soufflés

Makes 2 medium size ramekin cakes.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp milk

1 Earl Grey tea bag (I used Twinings)

3 Tbsp butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp orange zest

1/4 tsp lemon zest

1 egg

4 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

4 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

3 Tbsp chocolate chips

1/4 tsp confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Equipment:

large microwave safe liquid measuring cup

2 medium-sized ramekins

fork

zester

Directions:

1.)  Pour the milk into the measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds. Tear open tea bag and pour the tea leaves into the milk. Steep for 2 minutes, then add butter and mix in until it melts.

2.)  Add the vanilla, zests, and egg, then stir vigorously with a fork. Add all the dry ingredients, then mix them in until the batter is homogenous.

3.)  Evenly distribute the batter into the 2 ramekins. Cook 1 cake at a time in the microwave, for 1 minute each. For a decorative touch, dust with confectioners’ sugar right before serving or top with tea-infused whipped cream (see below).

***Optional: Make a tea-infused whip cream to go over cakes by soaking 1/4 cup heavy cream with 2 Earl Grey tea bags overnight. When ready to serve the cakes, discard the tea bags and place the cream in a large cold bowl. Add 1 tsp granulated sugar, then whip the cream with a whisk until you get soft peaks. Spoon a large dollop of whipped cream on each cake. Sprinkle the cream with small Earl Grey tea leaves, orange zest, or lemon zest to finish.

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