Let me just say it upfront: This cake wasn’t born from a moment of inspiration. It was born from deep annoyance and a very specific kind of Indonesian culinary grudge—the kind that brews quietly while you smile politely and say, “Iya, oke aja sih,” even when your soul is screaming otherwise.
There’s this (used to be) viral café—Scarlett Cafe. Gorgeous interior, dreamy lighting, moody minimalist everything. The kind of place where people pour sauce over tiramisu like they’re performing a sacred ceremony. And because their Earl Grey Peach Cake was calling me while I ordered the viral pour-over tiramisu—years after the hype, of course I gave it a shot.
note: I took the picture from pinterest, but yes it's the same
Big mistake.
The peach? Lazy.
The Earl Grey? Nowhere to be found.
The whole thing tasted like an overpriced afterthought. Pretty, yes. But hollow. Like someone whispered "bergamot" into a vat of buttercream and ghosted. It was the culinary version of being left on read.
Now, usually I just keep these feelings in my head. A quiet rant, maybe a dramatic sigh, and go on with my life. But this time, my in-laws were staying over. And if you’re Indonesian, you know what that means: no room for mental spirals—only action. Somehow, their presence gave me that extra push. Instead of stewing, I decided to bake.
I opened ChatGPT like it was a digital sous-chef and muttered to myself, “I’m going to make the version of that cake that actually tastes like something. That has backbone. That doesn’t insult peaches and tea in one bite.”
So I baked.
And that night—this is the part I didn’t expect—my mother-in-law and I crossed paths in the kitchen. It was past dinner. The house was relatively quiet. We were both clearly looking for snacks, and there it was: the cake. We didn’t even slice it properly. We just stood there, kongsi style, eating forkfuls straight from the platter like it was some secret ceremony. No small talk. No pretense. Just soft cake, strong tea flavor, and a shared peace offering between women who married into the same family.
What started as petty revenge had quietly turned into a comfort cake. One that brought me closer to my mother-in-law in the most unexpected way. And the best part? It actually tasted good.
Here’s the full story—recipe, missteps, tweaks, and everything in between.
My Recipe and What Actually Happened
Before we get to the clean recipe version, let me tell you how it actually went down in my kitchen. Spoiler: not everything went according to plan. But honestly? That’s half the charm.
The ganache? Too sweet, because I used compound white chocolate instead of couverture (because it was unavailable and heck expensive). But somehow, the strong Earl Grey infusion still came through. Not cloying, just... mismatched. Also? I didn’t make enough. Rookie move. The frosting barely covered the cake, so it kind of worked out in balance—but it definitely wasn’t the elegant finish I imagined.
The sponge? Oh, friends. I mixed all the wet ingredients together—including the eggs—without whipping anything. So instead of a fluffy, airy crumb, I ended up with a dense, muffin-like cake. Still flavorful, still pretty, but let’s be honest: it lacked grace. I only sliced it into two layers instead of three because the thickness intimidated me. I panicked. And then I moved on.
The peach layer? Delicious, but I was stingy. I sliced them too thin, added too little between layers, and played it too safe. Next time, I’m going big—fat chunks, bold layering, let the fruit sing.
Now, if you're here for the actual structure of the recipe (cleaned-up version), here you go:
The Cake Base:
180 gr All Purpose Flour
20 gr almond flour/blended almond (for moist, nutty crumb)
2 tsp finely ground Earl Grey tea (from 2 good quality bags, I use Dilmah)
1 tsp baking powder (don't confuse these two)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (never forget this one)
120 gr sugar + 60 gr brown sugar (for depth of flavor)
2 large eggs
120 ml vegetable oil (at this point, i prefer use oil instead of butter that dry up the cake in the fridge)
100 ml hot milk + 2 Earl Grey tea bags (steeped 10–15 mins, cooled)
100 gr plain yogurt (it will make the cake stay moist)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use Jansen)
1 tbsp honey (for another depth of flavor)
Note: I mixed all the wet ingredients together without whipping the eggs. So, yeah. Muffin texture. Still tasty though. You should have whip the egg first! And then add the sugar, mix. Add oil, mix until all of them emulsified. Sour Cream/Yogurt with honey next, last but not least infused earl grey milk and vanilla extract
Bake in a tall 20cm pan at 160°C for 45–55 minutes. Cool completely before slicing into 2 or 3 layers (for better aesthetic). I chickened out and did 2.
Whipped Earl Grey Ganache (make twice of this recipe if you want generous Ganache with some swirl piping):
200 gr white chocolate couverture (I used compound—don’t be me)
120 ml heavy cream
2 Earl Grey tea bags (steeped in cream)
20 gr butter
Pinch of salt
Optional: 1/2 tsp citrus zest (lemon or mandarin)
1/4 tsp Earl Grey powder (stirred in at the end)
Heat cream, steep tea, reheat, then pour over chopped white chocolate + butter. Add salt and zest. Chill 4+ hours (or overnight), then whip to soft-medium peaks. This recipe gave me barely enough. Double it next time.
Peach Filling:
1–2 canned or fresh peaches, diced for filling and thinly or thickly sliced for topping
Optional: 1 tbsp peach syrup to soak the cake layers
For fancier, you can also roast and caramelize the peach for few mins
Next Time I’ll...
Whip the eggs for a lighter sponge (duh).
Use proper couverture white chocolate or cut the sweetness with cream cheese.
Double the ganache. I want full coverage.
Macerate fresh peaches if I have the energy
So no, this wasn’t the perfect cake. But it was the cake I needed to make. It tasted like tea and effort and emotional recovery. It carried my petty, my pride, and my craving for a better peach moment.
Also—my colleague already asked to order one. So maybe the cake did what it came to do.
And to Scarlett Café: it’s nothing personal. But bergamot deserves better.
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