Tea and more tea!

Having a love of tea makes it difficult for me to control myself arond anything tea related.  I guess it’s not a bad addiction to have, tea is, after all, very healthy! And it’s the best thing to have around when company shows up. Like the great quote from Gladstone goes:  ”If you are cold, tea will warm you.  If you are too heated, it will cool you.  If you are depressed, it will cheer you.  If you are excited, it will calm you.”  So, when I came across the tea review blog’s tea swap (http://www.teareviewblog.com/?page_id=1706) I jumped at the chance to share my tea love with others around the world.  This was a great idea!

Imagine, trying teas that aren’t available in your city while also sharing your favourite teas with someone else! How can you go wrong? I’m not sure which was more fun, making a tea package to send to my “tea buddy” or receiving a package from someone who probably had as much fun as I did putting together a package to send to me. The concept is simple, send a package that you would love to receive yourself! I loved receiving my gift, I got a few tea bags, tea tins and lovely selection of loose teas! My favourites from the package I got were the breakfast blend and the relaxation herbal tea called Meadow Nocturne from LiberTEAS. So, if my tea buddy Anne is reading this… Thank you very much for a lovely tea gift!

Every good cup of tea deserves a lovely tea treat. And what better treat than baked goods made with tea? Um… there’s nothing better I think! So here’s the one treat I like to make as often as I can, I try to change up the tea used to change the taste… try it sometime!

Tea Cake
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine’s Lemon Verbena Loaf Cake)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup boiling water
4 tea bags or 2 tablespoons loose tea
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
Cooking spray
Optional: Nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.) and/or dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, blueberries, etc.)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over tea bags in a bowl or use a tea infuser with the loose tea; steep 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags or the loose tea; cool tea to room temperature.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add brewed tea, applesauce, and canola oil; beat until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture; beat just until moist. Fold in nuts and/or dried fruit if desired. Pour batter into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Sometimes you may want to use a glaze, here’s an easy one:

Glaze: 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon or orange rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or orange juice

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and rind in a small bowl. Add juice, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake; let stand until set. You can also try 2 tablespoons of prepared tea mixed with the powdered sugar to complement the flavour of your cake.