About Time: You Got Creative With We Are TeaBy Angelica Malin
We partnered with our pals over at We Are Tea, for a special week dedicated to tea. We’re a sucker for a brew, but there’s more to the humble tea leaf than making a cuppa. The amazing Kate Hackworthy shares her favourite tea recipes. Ready, set, bake:
Whole Chamomile Flower Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons whole dried chamomile flowers (plus extra to decorate)
- 215g unsalted butter
- 100ml whole milk
- 175g granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200g plain flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the Salted Honey Buttercream
- 60g salted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 250g powdered icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 9” round cake pan.
2. Heat the butter, milk and chamomile flowers in a pan and allow to gently simmer for three minutes and remove from the heat, stir and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
3. Over a bowl, strain the flowers out of the mixture with a fine mesh sieve, reserving as much infused butter as possible, and discard the flowers. Set aside.
4. Beat the infused butter and sugar together for a few minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat in well. Add the vanilla and beat again.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the wet mixture and gently combine.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth to the edges. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
7. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Salted Honey Buttercream
1. Beat the butter until smooth. Add the honey and beat well. Add the powdered icing sugar and milk, then beat until smooth. Stir in the salt then ice the cooled cake as desired.
Peppermint Tea Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 50ml boiling water
- 2 teaspoons peppermint tea leaves
- 200g dark chocolate, chopped
- 4 eggs
Method
1. Steep the peppermint tea leaves in the boiling water for 5 minutes, making a strongly-brewed tea. Strain out the tea leaves, reserving the water.
2. Add 2 teaspoons of the tea water, along with the chocolate, to a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate with the tea, stirring occasionally, then remove the bowl from the pan and leave the mixture to cool slightly.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat the yolks into the melted chocolate.
4. In another bowl, with an electric mixer or a stand mixer, beat the whites until stiff. Add a large spoonful of whites to the chocolate and gently fold in, then add the rest of the egg whites and gently fold until just combined.
5. Spoon the mousse into 4 individual small serving dishes and chill in the fridge overnight.
Whole Rose Bud Tea and Pistachio Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 115g unsalted butter
- 15g whole rose buds
- 50g unsalted pistachio kernels
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 60ml milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 115g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Vanilla Buttercream
- 75g (1/3 cup) butter, softened
- 150g (1⅛ cups) powdered icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
To Decorate
- Dried rose buds
- Chopped pistachios
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a muffin tin with the paper cases.
2. Melt the butter with the rose buds in a pan and allow to simmer gently for five minutes. Remove from the heat, stir and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
3. Over a bowl, strain the flowers out of the mixture with a fine mesh sieve, reserving as much infused butter as possible, and discard the flowers. Set aside.
4. Whizz the pistachio nuts in a food processor until finely ground, then set aside.
5. Beat the rose-infused butter with the sugar, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the milk and vanilla, then beat again.
6. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the ground pistachios, then add to the wet ingredients and gently combine.
7. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases to fill ¾ full, then bake for 15 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tray for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Vanilla Buttercream
1. Beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add milk if necessary to make it a frosting consistency.
2. Keep in the fridge until ready to ice the cupcakes, then top the cupcakes as desired and sprinkle with the rose buds and chopped pistachios.
