Tea with Milk & Honey Cake
Let’s get this out of the way first: this cake is not the moist cake of your wet dreams. It’s also not very sweet, nor over-indulgent…because it’s not supposed to be.
Tea with Milk & Honey Cake is best enjoyed after dinner or for breakfast, with a cup of whatever tea you used to make the cake, or coffee. A bite of cake and a sip of your hot drink to wash it down. Or use a spoon and dunk it to wet it the way you would a biscotti. It’s simple, dense, yet light. My personal fave is drizzled with honey and a huge dollop of cardamom whipped cream on top or side; the three together are beautifully floral. Oh, and make sure something British is on for a truly immersive experience.
Tea with Milk & Honey Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch cake pan (I love springform for this!)
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE!
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 4 tea bags (I love English Breakfast for this cake!)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp finely-ground plain breadcrumbs, divided
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup clover honey, plus extra for that drizzle (darker honey will overpower the cake)
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup olive oil
FOR THE TEA SIMPLE SYRUP!
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tea bag (whatever you used for batter)
FOR THE CARDAMOM WHIPPED CREAM!
- ½ pint heavy whipping cream
- 1½ Tbsp powdered sugar, packed, plus more for dusting
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE!
- In a small pot or pan over the lowest heat of the smallest burner, add milk and the teabags. Keep it over the burner for 10 minutes, or until the milk has turned a light chocolate color. Stir every so often. Remove from heat and allow to cool with teabags still in the milk.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ¼ cup breadcrumbs, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), add eggs and salt. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
- Add in sugar, honey, and sour cream and whisk again on medium-high for another 2 minutes.
- Switch to paddle attachment. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
- Grab the milk with the teabags. Squeeze excess liquid from teabags into milk and discard bags.
- Add olive oil to the milk and give it a stir.
- Pour milk mixture into batter and stir just until combined.
- Grease cake pan and dust bottom and sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Pour in cake batter and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
FOR THE TEA SIMPLE SYRUP!
- While the cake is baking, we can start the other stuff! In a glass measuring cup, or microwave-safe bowl, add sugar and water. Microwave for 1½ minutes.
- Add teabag and allow to steep for 2 minutes. When done, squeeze excess liquid from teabag into sugar mixture and discard bag.
- When cake is done baking, pierce all around with a toothpick or fork and slowly pour syrup into holes. Wait to cool completely before serving.
- This cake has no icing, so if you need it to look pretty: wait until it cools, flip it upside down, and then pierce and add simple syrup. Wait at least 30 minutes (still upside down) for simple to penetrate and dry. Flip over.
FOR THE CARDAMOM WHIPPED CREAM!
- Add all ingredients together and whisk until stiff peaks form. Careful not to over-whisk!
- Allow to set & cool in the fridge for an hour or longer.
TO SERVE!
- Dust cake with powdered sugar. Slice and plate.
- Drizzle each slice generously with honey and serve with a dollop of cardamom whip on the side. Best enjoyed with some coffee or tea whilst watching Bridgerton for full effect. PINKIES UP!
TO QUICKLY GET ROOM-TEMP EGGS:
Gently place eggs in a bowl and submerge completely in lukewarm water for 5 minutes. Lukewarm means you can keep for finger in the water for 10 seconds without burning it.
EQUIPMENT:
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