mint + ginger green tea lemonade

 

the weather is finally warm enough to enjoy drinking iced tea & beer outdoors! this past weekend in toronto, everyone was out riding bikes & every restaurant with a patio was jam packed. winter hibernation is over! each morning i start off by drinking a hot cup of green tea, half because i love tea & half because of how healthy green tea is for you. with the weather changing, i wanted to come up with the ultimate refreshing way to drink my green tea! using stash tea's loose leaf organic lung ching green tea i created an iced green tea lemonade that is flavoured with fresh ginger + fresh mint & sweetened with raw honey + panela raw sugar. this drink would be perfect for an outdoor bbq in one of those massive mason jar jug drink dispensers that i got my mom last year for mother's day. hint hint: mom;)

ingredients

  • 4 cups water, boiled
  • 3 tablespoons loose leaf green tea (i used organic lung ching green tea)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled & sliced
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint, plus more for garnishing
  • 3 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1-2 tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar (i used obelo's panela sugar)
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • sliced lemons, for garnishing

directions

  • in a large teapot or kettle steep loose leaf green tea & sliced ginger in boiling water. once desired strength is reached strain out tea & ginger.
  • add honey & sugar, stir until sugar is fully dissolved. place in fridge & let cool completly.
  • in a punch bowl or ice tea pitcher add green tea base mix, fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, sliced lemons. allow time for flavours to mend.
  • serve in an iced raw sugar rimmed glass with fresh mint & a slice of lemon.

this post was created in partnership with stash tea. you can find the organic loose leaf green tea i used here & the loose leaf glass teapot here. 

london fog cake

 

today we are celebrating the release of tessa huff's new book layered & because monday's always deserve some form of cake! she is the baking genius behind the blog style sweet CA where you will find some of the prettiest cakes on the internet. her new book is full of unique cake recipes as well as step by step instructions on frosting & decorating cakes. it even has a bonus three tier cake chapter which couldn't be more helpful for me because i am making my first ever wedding cake in may! anyways, this london fog cake recipe comes straight from tessa's book & it was perfect. i love london fogs so when i saw a cake version that infused earl grey tea, how could i not make it? check out layered here which gets released tomorrow!!!!

ingredients

for the chocolate cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup hot strong-brewed coffee (i substituted strong-brewed earl grey tea)

for the earl grey buttercream

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup loose earl grey tea
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons large egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, for drizzling

directions

for the chocolate cake

  • preheat the oven to 350 degrees. grease & flour three 8-inch cake pans, set aside.
  • sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil & sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. add the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract & almond extract.
  • turn the mixer to low & slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk.
  • scrape down the bowl then add the hot coffee while mixing on low speed. mix until just combined.
  • evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans. bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. let cool before removing the cake from the pans.

for the earl grey buttercream

  • place 1 cup of the butter in a saucepan with the loose tea. heat over medium heat until the butter melts, then reduce to low heat & simmer for 5 minutes. remove from heat & let steep for 5 minutes. strain the butter & refrigerate until it reaches the consistency of room temperature butter.
  • place the egg whites & sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. whisk them together by hand to combine. fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water & place it over medium-high heat. place the mixer bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler. the bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water. whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it reaches 160 degrees f. place the mixer bowl back on the stand mixer.
  • with the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until it holds medium stiff peaks. when done, the outside of the mixer bowl should return to room temperature. stop the mixer & swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment.
  • with the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, tea infused butter & regular butter one tablespoon at a time. once fully incorporated, turn the mixer to medium-high & beat until the buttercream is silky smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.

for assembly

  • once the cakes have completely cooled, level them & choose which layer will be at the bottom. place it on a cake plate or serving dish & spread on 1/2 cup of the buttercream with an offset spatula. top with the next layer & repeat.
  • frost the outside of the cake as desired & refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes before drizzling with the salted caramel sauce.

fleur spiced strawberry shortcakes

 

you are probably asking "what is fleur spiced shortcakes!?". well i will TELL you! it is a flower filled spice blend of pink pepper, hibiscus, lavender & rose. it is probably one of the most unique spice blends i have worked with thus far. while it can be used in both sweet + savoury dishes, i saw strawberries was one of the recommended fruits & i knew i had to do strawberry shortcakes. i decided to do the classic biscuit style strawberry shortcakes that are portioned individually, because biscuits. the flakey, buttery biscuit & the sweet whipped cream compliment the fleur spiced strawberries perfectly. i used curio spice co's fleur spice from boston general store. using a mortar & pestle i mixed the cane sugar with the spice blender & ground it down to a very fine powder. i wanted the cane sugar to really be incorporated into the spice & for the strawberries to essentially marinate in the mix.

ingredients

for the biscuits

for the fleur spice strawberries

for the whipped cream

directions

  • for the biscuits: preheat oven to 375 degrees. in a mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. stir until combined. using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter like you would a pie dough until the mixture is crumbly. add the heavy cream & vanilla and mix until the dough comes together. turn out onto a floured surface, roll out dough to a 3/4 inch thickness & cut into desired sized biscuits. bake for 10-15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown.
  • for the fleur spice strawberries: place the sliced strawberries in a mixing bowl. using a mortar & pestle grind the sugar with the fleur spice. add the ground mixture to the strawberries & toss to coat. set aside while you make the whipped cream & let the strawberries soak in the flavours.
  • for the whipped cream: in the bowl of a standmixer using the whisk attachment, add the cream, vanilla & sugar. beat until stiff peaks are formed.
  • to assemble: when ready to serve, slice the biscuit in half horizontally. top bottom with whipped cream, strawberries, whipped cream & biscuit top. serve with fresh strawberries & a touch of sugar.

like what you see? get it here. fleur spice | mortar & pestle | cutting board | mixing bowl | linens | tea basket | plate | mug