Cashew Cardamom Tea Cake by Cultivating Foodies
Tea can add a fantastic depth of flavour and richness to your baked goods. If you're having a tea party or hosting an afternoon tea bridal shower, making tea-infused goodies is a great way to further highlight your theme.
But how do you get the tea flavour into your baking?
The easiest way to bake with your favourite tea is to infuse one of your other ingredients with the tea leaves, just like you would if you were steeping a cup. The most common things to infuse with your tea are milk, butter, and water. You can also grind the tea leaves into a powder and incorporate them directly into your baking.
Infusing Water with Tea
Stephanie from Cultivating Foodies recently created a delicious Cashew Cardamom Tea Cake made with our Pomegranate Cardamom black tea. The tea - as well as peppercorns and additional cardamom pods - was steeped in water as part of the glaze. This is a fantastic way to add a bit of character to a regular sugar-and-water mixture. You can follow Stephanie's directions for infusing tea in water, or you can steep your tea as you would regularly, using a bit more tea leaves than usual to impart a stronger flavour.
The start of the tea glaze from Cultivating Foodies
Steeping Tea in Milk
To steep tea in milk, warm dairy or non-dairy milk over a medium heat on your stovetop. Add a couple tablespoons of your favourite tea and allow it to steep without boiling for 10-15 minutes. Cool the milk slightly before straining out the tea leaves and proceeding with your baking.
This method is used in these incredible Earl Grey Chocolate Pots from Gourmande in the Kitchen. Don't they look amazing?
Earl Grey Chocolate Pots from Gourmande in the Kitchen
Infusing Tea in Butter
If you'd like to infuse the butter you'll be using in cookies or a cake, you can melt it on the stove and add your tea leaves. Allow the tea to mix and mingle with the butter for 10-15 minutes without burning or browning the butter. You'll need to strain it while the butter is still melted. It can get a bit messy, but it's worth it!
I have used this method for creating Chai Oatmeal Cookies that were a big hit at a tea party I hosted.
Grinding Tea Into Powder
An alternative method for including tea in your baking is to grind it into a fine powder in a food processor and adding it to your dry ingredients. This method is used in these beautiful Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies by Sugar and Soul.
Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies by Sugar and Soul
Check out our Pinterest board, Baking and Cooking with Tea, for more great recipes and ideas for incorporating your favourite types of tea into some yummy treats!
Have you ever tried any recipes that included tea leaves? How did you add that wonderful tea flavour?
