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Blue Milk Tea Layer Cake

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A striking three-layer sponge cake infused with aromatic black milk tea and naturally tinted sky-blue with butterfly-pea flowers, finished with silky milk-tea buttercream and optional brown-sugar boba pearls.

Ingredients

  • Milk-tea concentrate: 2 cups whole milk • 3 Tbsp loose black tea (Assam or Ceylon) • 1 Tbsp dried butterfly-pea flowers (or 2 tsp butterfly-pea powder)
  • Cake batter (three 8-inch layers): 3 cups cake flour • 2 cups granulated sugar • 3 tsp baking powder • ½ tsp fine salt • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened • 4 large eggs, room temperature • 1 cup strained milk-tea concentrate (cooled) • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Milk-tea buttercream: 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened • 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted • 4 Tbsp milk-tea concentrate (cooled) • 1 tsp vanilla • pinch of salt
  • Optional garnish: 1 cup warm cooked tapioca pearls tossed in ¼ cup brown-sugar syrup

Instructions

  1. Steep & tint milk: In a small saucepan, bring milk to a gentle simmer. Stir in tea leaves and butterfly-pea flowers, cover, and steep 15 minutes. Strain, pressing on solids. Cool to room temperature; measure out 1 cup for the cake and reserve the rest for buttercream.
  2. Prepare pans: Preheat oven to 350 °F / 175 °C. Grease three 8-inch round pans, line bottoms with parchment, and lightly flour.
  3. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Cream butter & build batter: Beat butter into dry mix on medium until a sandy texture forms. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Pour in cooled milk-tea concentrate in two additions, beating just to combine and scraping bowl.
  5. Bake: Divide batter evenly among pans (≈530 g each). Bake 25–28 min until centers spring back and a tester is clean. Cool 10 min, then invert onto racks; cool completely.
  6. Buttercream: Beat butter until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, then milk-tea concentrate, vanilla, and salt until smooth and spreadable.
  7. Assemble: Level cake layers if needed. Place first layer on stand, spread ¾ cup buttercream. Repeat with second layer; top with third layer. Crumb-coat, chill 15 min, then frost sides and top smoothly.
  8. Finish & serve: Mound warm brown-sugar boba in center or pipe decorative swirls. Slice with a hot, dry knife for clean layers. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

  • Steeping longer intensifies both tea flavor and blue hue—taste after 10 min, adjust to preference.
  • Butterfly-pea color fades with acid; avoid lemon juice in the batter.
  • Cake keeps 3 days refrigerated, tightly covered; bring to room temp before serving.
  • Swap dairy milk for oat milk and butter for plant butter for a vegan version (texture slightly denser).

Nutrition

Keywords: blue milk tea, butterfly-pea cake, layer cake, boba, dessert

Find it online: https://recipesfoodeasy.com/blue-milk-tea-layer-cake/