Ahhh the Arnold Palmer! One of two great legacies the golfing giant left us! Such a refreshing combination… a combination this Arnold Palmer Cake captures beautifully! The caramel notes of the tea baked straight into the tender cake offers a wonderful balance to the tangy, creamy, lemony frosting on top! No teatime would be complete without a slice of Arnold Palmer Cake, and perhaps its namesake drink served alongside! You could say this cake is a hole in one!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 family-size tea bags, such as black tea
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the frosting:
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease and flour a 13×9-inch baking pan.
Step 3 –Place the tea bags in a heatproof glass bowl and pour the boiling water over them.
Step 4 –Cover the glass bowl with plastic wrap and allow the tea bags to steep in the water for 10 minutes.
Step 5 –Lift the tea bags out from the water and use the back of a spoon to gently press each tea bag against the side of the bowl to remove the excess liquid.
Step 6 –Discard the tea bags and allow the tea to cool for 20 minutes.
Step 7 –In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 1 cup of the butter at medium speed until creamy.
Step 8 –Slowly add the granulated sugar and the brown sugar to the butter and beat together until light and fluffy.
Step 9 –Add the eggs to the butter/sugar mixture, one at a time, and beat after each addition, until they are just blended.
Step 10 –In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the baking soda together.
Step 11 –Alternate adding the cake flour mixture and 1 cup of the tea to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and beating after each addition on low speed just until blended.
Step 12 –Discard the remaining tea or reserve it for future use.
Step 13 –Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
Step 14 –Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Step 15 –In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and the remaining butter and beat at medium speed until creamy.
Step 16 –Gradually add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese/butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, and beat after each addition on low speed until blended.
Step 17 –Add the lemon zest and the fresh lemon juice to the cream cheese/butter mixture and beat until just blended.
Step 18 –Adjust the mixer speed to high and beat the frosting until light and fluffy.
Step 19 –Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.
Step 20 –Serve.
