Prep Time : 15 Minutes | Cook Time : 1 Hour | Total Time : 2 Hours | Difficulty : Easy
So it’s been a while since we made something chocolate right? Thought I’d better put that right. What better way than with a super simple loaf cake that packs a heavy chocolate punch? No fancy ingredients, no tricky method, just meltingly tender cake. The tea in the cake blends into the background, while the early grey syrup complements the not-too-sweet cake perfectly.
Cover two good quality earl grey tea bags (or the equivalent of loose tea leaves) with roughly a cup of boiling water and leave to steep for several minutes – we want to make it super strong.
Line an 8 by 5 inch loaf pan with baking paper making sure there is enough overhang to lift the cake out by the long sides. Preheat the oven to 160C (320F).
Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together and set aside. Measure half a cup of the tea into a bowl and whisk together with the sour cream and vanilla.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.
Add half the dry ingredients and fold together until almost combined. Fold in the liquids followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the cake springs back when pressed gently and a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes to let the cake firm slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling prepare the syrup. Warm the water and sugar over a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Keep cooking the syrup until it just starts to bubble at the edges. Remove from the heat and add two more tea bags. Leave the syrup to steep for several minutes. Remove the tea bags and drizzle about half the syrup onto the cooling cake and let it soak in.
Serve thick slices of cake topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with the remaining syrup.
If you have points to make up after forgetting mother’s day, a chocolate cake and cup of tea at the same time topped with ice cream is probably an ideal way to get back in the good books!
Chocolate + Earl Grey Loaf Cake
Prep Time : 15 mins | Cook Time : 1 hour | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Easy | Makes : 1 x 5 by 8 inch loaf
Dark aromatic chocolate cake laced with earl grey syrup.
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 150 gm | 5.4 oz | 1 stick plus 3 tbsp butter
- 150 gm | 5.4 oz | 3/4 cup softly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 160 gm | 5.7 oz | 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 50 gm | 1.8 oz | 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp dutched cocoa
- 115 gm | 4.1 oz | 1/2 cup sour cream
- 125 ml | 4.5 fl oz | 1/2 cup strong early grey tea
Syrup:
- 125 ml | 4.5 fl oz | 1/2 cup water
- 110 gm | 3.9 oz | 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 2-3 earl grey tea bags
Directions:
Cover two good quality earl grey tea bags (or the equivalent of loose tea leaves) with roughly a cup of boiling water and leave to steep for several minutes – we want to make it super strong.
Line an 8 by 5 inch loaf pan with baking paper making sure there is enough overhang to lift the cake out by the long sides. Preheat the oven to 160C (320F).
Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together and set aside. Measure half a cup of the tea into a bowl and whisk together with the sour cream and vanilla. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.
Add half the dry ingredients and fold together until almost combined. Fold in the liquids followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the cake springs back when pressed gently and a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes to let the cake firm slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling prepare the syrup. Warm the water and sugar over a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Keep cooking the syrup until it just starts to bubble at the edges. Remove from the heat and add two more tea bags. Leave the syrup to steep for several minutes. Remove the tea bags and drizzle about half the syrup onto the cooling cake and let it soak in.
Serve thick slices of cake topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with the remaining syrup.
Adapted from Feast – Food to Celebrate Life.
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Oh wow I never thought of tea with chocolate. what a great idea!! I can’t wait to try this!
Tea goes with everything! There are a couple of chocolate makers in NZ that do great bars infused with teas – so good.