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Made with smooth white chocolate and cream infused with Earl Grey tea, this Earl Grey and white chocolate ganache makes the best Earl Grey ganache recipe for frosting cakes and cupcakes, filling bon bons, or sandwiching between a pair of macaron shells.
Baking with Earl Grey Tea
I’ll admit that I’ve never been the biggest fan of Earl Grey tea, at least where beverages are concerned—for some reason, it always tastes just ever-so-slightly like a musty attic to me. For drinking, give me a classic English breakfast or a jasmine green tea any day of the week. I’ve also been known to enjoy a cup of Yorkshire’s Tea Toast & Jam Brew (which really does remind me of jam on toast!)
However, despite my reluctance to drink it, I actually really enjoy using Earl Grey in my baked goods. The flavors of this tea pair nicely with sweet pastry elements (especially chocolate), spices such as cinnamon and cardamom, and with citrus fruits like lemon.
I first baked with Earl Grey tea during Superior Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London, where we made these Earl Grey and caramel éclairs. Since then, I’ve found a number of ways to utilize Earl Grey tea in my recipes, most often as a component in bon bons, rolled chocolate truffles, and chocolate ganaches.
A Recipe for Earl Grey Ganache
Because of its versatility, this particular ganache recipe is one I return to over and over again. Smooth, creamy, and reminiscent of a hot cup of Earl Grey, I love this ganache for frosting cakes and cupcakes, as well as for filling macarons and sandwich biscuits.
Here I’ve used my Earl Grey and white chocolate ganache recipe to fill a batch of Italian macaron shells, as well as to frost a simple Earl Grey, lavender, and lemon sponge cake.
Choosing Your Chocolate
Make your ganache using a good-quality white chocolate, such as Guittard, Callebaut, Valrhona, or rather than cheap grocery store white chocolate chips, which are designed for baking rather than ganache-making.
A high-quality chocolate will offer a superior finished product in terms of flavor, and is well worth the extra expense. I tested this recipe using Callebaut W2 28% White Chocolate Callets.
Uses for Earl Grey Ganache
- Frost a cake, cupcakes, or mini tea cakes
- Fill macarons or sandwich cookies
- Allow ganache to set in the refrigerator, then scoop and roll into chocolate truffles
- Add a layer to a pan of brownies or blondies
- Fill mini tart shells or other pastries
Infusing the Cream
To give this ganache its Earl Grey flavor, I’ve first infused the tea into the whipping cream. To do this, you’ll gently heat the cream, then remove from heat and allow the tea to infuse for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour. The longer you allow the tea to infuse, the stronger the Earl Grey flavor in your ganache will be.
To remove the tea bags, pass the cream through a fine mesh strainer, then discard the tea bags. The tea bags will absorb some of the cream, so you might need to “top up” with extra cream to reach the 125 milliliters needed for the ganache.
Earl Grey Ganache Tips and Tricks
You may or may not want to add food coloring to your ganache. (Without it, the ganache will naturally be a light greyish-brown in color, which isn’t necessarily the most visually appealing.) I usually like to add a few drops of blue and/or purple, which will produce a ganache similar in color to the one pictured here.
If you do choose to add food coloring, try to choose an oil-based color (often labeled “candy coloring”) to color your white chocolate, rather than gel or water-based food coloring. However, gel coloring will also work in a pinch.
Once cool, this ganache takes a bit of whisking time to come to the proper consistency. (The longer you whisk, the creamier and thicker the ganache will become—I prefer a thinner, more pipeable ganache for macarons, and something thicker if I’m frosting a cake.) To speed things along, you can place the bowl in the fridge, but do so very briefly and carefully, checking the consistency every minute or two. Too much time in the fridge and you’ll end up with a ganache better suited for rolling into truffles, rather than frosting a cake.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Raspberry and Ruby Chocolate Ganache
Passionfruit Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Passionfruit Ganache
Oatmeal Lace Cookies with Chai Chocolate Ganache
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Earl Grey and White Chocolate Ganache
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 300 grams (approx. 1 1/4 cups) 1x
Description
A decadent white chocolate ganache, infused with flavors of Earl Grey tea. Perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes, or for filling macarons.
Ingredients
150 milliliters whipping cream (2/3 cup), plus more to adjust consistency
5 Earl Grey tea bags
200 grams good-quality white chocolate (1 1/4 cups)
15 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 tablespoon)
1–2 drops oil based food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Combine the whipping cream and Earl Grey tea bags in a small saucepan.
Gently warm the cream to steaming. Do not boil.
Remove from heat and allow the tea to infuse for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour. (The longer the infusing time, the stronger the Earl Grey flavor will be.)
Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate over a bain marie or double boiler.
Once infused, pass the cream through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the tea bags and any loose bits of tea.
Weigh 125 milliliters (about 1/2 cup) of the infused cream into a clean saucepan. Depending on much cream your tea bags have absorbed, you might need to add a splash of extra cream to make up the difference.
Rewarm the cream over low heat, then whisk it into the melted chocolate, followed by the softened butter and the food coloring, if using.
Set ganache aside and allow to cool at room temperature.
When ready to use, whisk ganache until smooth and creamy. Spread or pipe as desired.
- Category: Frostings and Fillings
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Sweets
