This is a boba lover’s dream come true! A milk tea flavored cake that is so soft, decadent, and delicious, you won’t be able to resist.
Milk tea boba cake is a triple-layered cake made with fragrant Ceylon tea, decorated with cheese buttercream, and topped with chewy brown sugar tapioca pearls. This soft and delicate cake is the perfect combination of sweet and creamy that’s sure to satisfy any sweet tooth!
This dessert is a fusion of two of my favorite sweets – cake and milk tea!
We made this cake to celebrate my birthday as well as my good friend Angie’s birthday (we were born a day apart!), and it was the perfect treat for our guests! The milk tea boba cake was an instant hit, and some friends even went for a second or third slice!
Since everyone loved the cake so much, we decided to share the recipe with you all so that you can make it at home for your next special occasion!
It is great for beginners and baking with friends, so I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Keep reading to learn how you can make a deliciously soft milk tea boba cake for your next get-together!
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It’s perfectly sweet without being too sweet. The brown sugar tapioca pearls add a nice chewy texture to the otherwise soft and moist cake.
Everyone loves milk tea…and this cake tastes like the real thing! This cake is perfect for all the boba lovers out there!
You can make this using ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
This recipe is beginner friendly and super easy to follow!
What are the components of the cake?
Several components of this cake make it so magical, so let’s get to it! The entire cake is made up of three components: three cake layers, frosting, and the topping. Let’s take a closer look at each one of these components and how they contribute to the overall flavor, texture, and appearance of the cake.
Milk Tea Butter Cake – In addition to traditional butter cake ingredients, this is made with highly concentrated milk tea and tea-infused simple syrup. We made this using the reverse cream method – more on that later. The cake has a soft crumb that is delicate, yet sturdy enough to support a triple layered cake. The tea flavor is pronounced but not overpowering, which gives it a unique and interesting flavor profile!
Cheese Buttercream Frosting – Inspired by cheese foam used as a boba topping! It has a light and fluffy texture and pairs perfectly with the moist cake underneath.
Brown Sugar Boba – This delicious topping adds a burst of sweetness to the dessert and has an interesting chewy texture thanks to the tapioca pearls!
What type of cake is it?
Our milk tea cake is a special variant of a traditional butter cake.
The batter uses the traditional ingredients of butter, flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and salt.
However, some ingredients are infused with black tea. In addition, this butter cake is made using the reverse cream method, which reverses the typical order of the mixing of the batter and creaming in the butter and sugar.
Why the reverse cream method?
We chose to use the reverse cream method for this cake because it produces a light and delicate texture that perfectly complements the fluffy cream cheese frosting on top. It’s also perfect for a layer cake situation like ours because it is slightly denser and comes out of the oven very flat.
This technique may sound a bit complicated, but it’s actually very beginner-friendly!
Compared to the traditional creaming method, it takes fewer steps and is faster and easier to prepare. The cake is also less susceptible to cracking and doming because this method incorporates much less air into the batter.
The one caveat to this method is that the cake is at risk of drying out because of the long baking time. You’ll see in this recipe that we accounted for this by adding sour cream to the batter. The sour cream has a very high-fat percentage and helps keep the cake moist and delicious!
How should I plan to make this cake?
While the recipe for this delicious cake is simple and easy to follow, it is very time-consuming. While it is possible to complete the cake entirely in one day, we recommend that you take your time and plan to prepare the cake over two or three days. We split the preparation into three days, so we only had to work on it for a few hours each day.
On day one, we infused the milk and syrup with tea. For day two, we baked the cake layers and made the frosting. And for day three, we made the boba and frosted the cake.
Everything but the brown sugar boba can be made ahead of time, so you can spread it out over 2-3 days or even a week. This makes it very easy to prepare this cake and ensures that you’ll have plenty of time to relax and have fun while it’s baking!
How to store and serve:
The unfrosted cake can be left at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week. Wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in an air-tight container to ensure it stays moist and fresh.
You can freeze the unfrosted cake, frosted cake, and individual slices for up to 3 months.
Make sure to double-wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and label the container with the date it was made and when it should be eaten.
For freezing a frosted cake, place it in the freezer uncovered just until the frosting hardens, then double wrap as you normally would. When you are planning to eat your cake, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then let it come to room temperature before serving.
As for buttercream, keep it in the fridge for up to a week or freeze it for 2 months. When you are ready to use it, leave it on the counter to warm up a little (about 20 minutes) before whipping it up again. If frozen, thaw it in the fridge overnight before using.
For the brown sugar boba, it is best to store it at room temperature and consume it within the next few hours. This is because the tapioca hardens as it cools and becomes much harder to chew.
Tips and tricks for making an amazing cake
Use a digital scale for measuring ingredients, it will make baking much easier.
Make sure the butter and other wet ingredients are at room temperature. If they are cold when you start mixing them together you will end up with lumps in your batter and that will affect the consistency of your cake.
Plan ahead; if you want to make this cake a few days in advance you need to make certain steps ahead of time. For example, the simple syrup needs to cool down to room temp so it needs to be made beforehand.
Use plenty of tea bags for the infused milk and syrup. See Note 1.
Note 1. One of the most difficult challenges of this recipe was getting the tea flavor to shine through. When I made the highly concentrated milk tea, I added two more tea bags while it was stored in the fridge overnight. It was a lot of tea, but it worked like a charm and definitely brought out the lovely tea flavor!
Note 2. When making the milk tea, we use more milk than we actually need. Why? Because this process may lead to evaporation and thus yields less milk. Ideally, since we are only heating up the milk, the volume should stay the same. However, through our recipe testing we learned that it is very easy to evaporate the milk too much. Thus, we recommend that you heat up 1-1 1/4 cups of milk to ensure that you retain at least 3/4 cup of milk tea at the end.
Tea-Infused Simple Syrup
½ cup water
½ cup white sugar
3 tea bags Ceylon, black tea, or tea of choice
Milk Tea Butter Cake (makes three 6″ cake layers)
Dry Ingredients
2½ cups cake flour 300g, sifted
1½ cups white sugar 300g
1 tbsp baking powder 12g
½ tsp kosher salt 3g
Wet Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter room temp
4 eggs room temp
¾ cup milk tea
3 tbsp sour cream 50g
Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter room temp
8 oz full fat cream cheese room temp
4 cups confectioners sugar 450g
1 tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp kosher salt
Brown Sugar Boba
½ cup uncooked boba 75g
water for boiling
2 tbsp brown sugar 30g
Recipe
Make the milk tea
In a saucepan, heat milk just until small bubbles form.
Turn off the heat. Add 7 tea bags and steep for 30 minutes.
Remove the used tea bags. Refrigerate and steep overnight with 2 more tea bags. See Note 1.
Make Tea-Infused Simple Syrup
In a heat-proof container or saucepan, dissolve sugar in hot water until the mixture looks clear. You can use a hot water kettle or the stovetop to heat the water. If using the stovetop, turn off the heat as soon as it’s fully dissolved.
Add tea bags and steep for 30 minutes.
Let cool to room temp before use. If you plan to continue baking another day, you can refrigerate the mixture overnight.
Bake the Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a mixing bowl, sift and combine all dry ingredients.
Add butter to the dry ingredients. Beat for 1-2 minutes, just until the butter is evenly distributed. It will look dry, crumbly, and sandy. See Note 3.
Note 3. The total beat time should be no more than 5 minutes. Avoid over mixing by stopping your mixer as soon as everything is incorporated evenly. The end result is a batter that is smooth and slightly fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk tea.
Working in three parts, beat in the egg mixture into the dry mixture.
Add sour cream. Beat until just incorporated and the batter is smooth.
Grease three 6″ cake pans. Line them with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper.
Divide the batter into the cake pans. Our batter weighed about 1200g, so fill each pan with about 400g of batter.
Bake at 350°F for 27-30 minutes. Remove from the oven when it passes the toothpick test.
Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes. Then remove from the pans (you may need to run a butter knife around the edges) and place them on a cooling rack.
Let them cool completely to room temp before assembly. If you plan to assemble the cake another day, wrap the cakes in plastic (you can leave them in the pan) and store in the refrigerate overnight.
Make Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat 2-3 minutes until well incorporated and fluffy.
Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge until use. The buttercream will stiffen up due to the cold, so if needed, either leave it on the counter to warm up again, or remix it to loosen it up again.
Make Brown Sugar Boba
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Then add boba and cook for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat, cover, and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Drain and give it a brief rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
In a small bowl, mix the boba with brown sugar until dissolved.
Assembly
Use a serrated knife or cake leveler to level the tops of the cakes. You want to make it as level as possible without cutting away too much of the cake.
Generously brush the simple syrup on the tops of each cake. We used nearly all of it.
Place a spoonful of frosting on the cake board.
Place the first cake layer on the board. Add frosting and smooth it out. Repeat for the next two layers.
Frost the crumb coat. We use a piping bag to distribute the frosting evenly, then used a spatula to smooth it out.
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Add your final layer of frosting. Use a cake scraper to smooth out the frosting. I’d like to warn you that this is the step where perfectionism can get in your way of moving to the next steps. It’s totally okay if the frosting is not perfectly smooth!
Frost a decorative border along the top edge of the cake. This will contain the boba and keep them from falling off the sides.
Add boba to the top of the cake. Slice and enjoy!
Final Thoughts
Inspired by brown sugar boba milk tea, this cake is an indulgent treat guaranteed to make you and any boba lover smile! Enjoy!
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In a saucepan, heat milk just until small bubbles form.
Turn off the heat. Add 7 tea bags and steep for 30 minutes.
Remove the used tea bags. Refrigerate and steep overnight with 2 more tea bags. See Note 1.
Make Tea-Infused Simple Syrup
In a heat-proof container or saucepan, dissolve sugar in hot water until the mixture looks clear. You can use a hot water kettle or the stovetop to heat the water. If using the stovetop, turn off the heat as soon as it's fully dissolved.
Add tea bags and steep for 30 minutes.
Let cool to room temp before use. Or refrigerate overnight if you plan to bake another day.
Bake the Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a mixing bowl, sift and combine all dry ingredients.
Add butter to the dry ingredients. Beat for 1-2 minutes, just until the butter is evenly distributed. It will look dry, crumbly, and sandy. See Note 3.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk tea.
Working in three parts, beat in the egg mixture into the dry mixture.
Add sour cream. Beat until just incorporated and the batter is smooth.
Grease three 6" cake pans. Line them with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper.
Divide the batter into the cake pans. Our batter weighed about 1200g, so fill each pan with about 400g of batter.
Bake at 350°F for 27-30 minutes. Remove from the oven when it passes the toothpick test.
Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes. Then remove from the pans (you may need to run a butter knife around the edges) and place them on a cooling rack.
Let them cool completely to room temp before assembly. Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerate overnight, if you plan to assemble the cake another day.
Make Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat 2-3 minutes until well incorporated and fluffy.
Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge until use. The buttercream will stiffen up due to the cold, so if needed, either leave it on the counter to warm up again, or remix it to loosen it up again.
Make Brown Sugar Boba
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Then add boba and cook for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat, cover, and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Drain and give it a brief rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
In a small bowl, mix the boba with brown sugar until dissolved.
Assembly
Use a serrated knife or cake leveler to level the tops of the cakes. You want to make it as level as possible without cutting away too much.
Generously brush the simple syrup on the tops of each cake. We used nearly all of it.
Place a spoonful of frosting on the cake board.
Place the first cake layer on the board. Add frosting and smooth it out. Repeat for the next two layers.
Frost the crumb coat. We use a piping bag to distribute the frosting evenly, then used a spatula to smooth it out.
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Add your final layer of frosting. Use a cake scraper to smooth out the frosting. I'd like to warn you that this is the step where perfectionism can get in your way of moving to the next steps. It's totally okay if the frosting is not perfectly smooth!
Frost a decorative border along the top edge of the cake. This will contain the boba and keep them from falling off the sides.
Add boba to the top of the cake. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Note 1. One of the most difficult challenges of this recipe was getting the tea flavor to shine through. When I made the highly concentrated milk tea, I added two more tea bags while it was stored in the fridge overnight. It was a lot of tea, but it worked like a charm and definitely brought out the lovely tea flavor!Note 2. When making the milk tea, we use more milk than we actually need. Why? Because this process may lead to evaporation and thus yields less milk. Ideally, since we are only heating up the milk, the volume should stay the same. However, through our recipe testing we learned that it is very easy to evaporate the milk too much. Thus, we recommend that you heat up 1-1 1/4 cups of milk to ensure that you retain at least 3/4 cup of milk tea at the end. Note 3. The total beat time should be no more than 5 minutes. Avoid over mixing by stopping your mixer as soon as everything is incorporated evenly. The end result is a batter that is smooth and slightly fluffy.
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Noelle Noriesta, a Filipino-American home cook, is the principal creator of Fork and Spoon. Her recipes have a modern and playful approach inspired by her food experiences growing up in the Bay Area and now in Los Angeles. --Read more about me