Spiced Cocoa And Red Pear Earl Grey Tea Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Put the fruit and zest in a bowl and cover with the hot tea. Leave to steep overnight.
• Heat the milk in a small pan until hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat and add the butter, swirling the pan to help the butter melt and cool the milk. Leave to cool to hand temperature. Tip the flour, mixed spice, sugar, yeast and ½ tsp salt into a large bowl. Pour in the warm milk mixture, the egg and 1 tbsp of the tea from the soaked fruit. Mix with a wooden spoon to combine, then tip onto your surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour if the mixture is too sticky. Place in a clean, oiled bowl and cover with cling film, then leave in a warm place to rise for 2 hrs until doubled in size.
• Flour 2 large flat baking trays, knock all the air out of your dough and add the soaked fruit (drain the fruit first if you have any liquid left in the bowl). Knead the fruit into the dough until well distributed - you may need to add a little extra flour if the fruit makes the dough too sticky. Break into 6 pieces and shape into balls. Place on the floured baking trays, well spaced apart, and squash each down lightly with the palm of your hand. Cover loosely with oiled cling film, then leave to prove for 30 mins-1 hr, until doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Uncover the teacakes and bake for 25 mins, swapping the trays over halfway hrough cooking, until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the base. Brush each one with a little apricot jam and return to the oven for a further 1-2 mins. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm from the oven or split and toasted, topped with lashings of butter. Will keep in a tin for up to 4 days.

Steps:

• 1. Grease a 9 x 5 pan.
• 2. In a bowl whisk together the flour and salt to blend. Set aside.
• 3. In a bowl beat the butter, sugar, tea leaves and vanilla on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy and the scent of the tea leaves begins to emerge. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each one.
• 4. Gradually add the flour mixture in 3 parts beating until combined. Pour into pan.
• 5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool.
• 6. Glaze: Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the teabags and let steep for five minutes until very strong.
• 7. Remove tea bags and stir in powdered sugar. Drizzle over cake.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325.
• 2. In a mixing bowl, cream sugars, honey, and butter. Then add one at a time and beat for 3 minutes.
• 3. Add dry ingredients and tea, save chocolate chunks, pears, coarse sugar, and cinnamon sugar. Beat until airy.
• 4. Fold in pears and chocolate chunks.
• 5. Take two small, square cake pans. Spray with non-stick spray and dust with cocoa.
• 6. Evenly divide batter into pans. Optionally, you may sprinkle coarse sugar and cinnamon sugar on the top of the batter of one pan. DO NOT STIR. This will be the layer that goes atop.
• 7. Place in oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
• 8. Remove cake and cool completely.
• 9. To make frosting that goes only sandwiched in between the two layers, melt chocolate for 60 seconds or a little more if need in a microwave safe bowl.
• 10. In a mixing bowl, cream the rest of the frosting ingredients for 3 minutes. Then mix in chocolate. Beat for additional minute.
• 11. Place in freezer until it becomes the consistency of a stiff, creamy mousse.
• 12. After both are cooled, spread atop bottom layer and place top layer on. If you make your topping ahead of time, squirt some chocolate on the bottom layer too.
• 13. To make topping, again microwave chocolate 10 seconds at a time as not to burn.
• 14. Beat the rest of the ingredients save almonds thoroughly and mix in melted chocolate. Then chill in fridge to thicken.
• 15. Place in small squirt bottle or just drizzle with spoon over the top of cake in a zig zag formation. Drizzle almonds atop.

Steps:

• Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
• Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.
• In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don't overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
• To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners' sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.