When thinking of tea, there are probably several things that come to mind; iced tea, a tall glass of sweet tea, hot tea, tea and lemonade just to name a few. The thing that all of these have in common is…they are all served in a glass or cup. I think most of us think of tea as something to drink and nothing else.
But tea, just like coffee, is much more than just something to drink. It can be the star in a dessert where it truly is the center of attention. Or it can also take on a roll of flavoring simple desserts or adding a twist on a classic.
In this dessert it takes on a co-staring roll. The flavor of tea is utilized in each element of this truly amazing cake. Although it’s in the cake, brushed on top, and in the glaze the tea flavor it truly subtle.
This brown sugar pound cake combines two of my all-time favorite things; tea and pound cake. In this dessert they are combined to create a sweet, fluffy and moist pound cake. The brown sugar adds an almost chewy caramel like feature to this cake while still remaining incredibly airy.
After the pound cake is baked, another layer of tea is added. Sweet tea is brushed on the top of the cake while it’s still in the pan. This allows the tea to soak through and the cake to absorbed all that goodness. The tea also helps the cake stay moist.
Then the final layer is a tea glaze. A basic glaze recipe with powdered sugar and butter, but tea is used in place of milk. To give another layer of tea, a bit of a sweet tea reduction is added before it’s drizzled all of the delicious moist cake. The glaze flows over the edges and down the sides like a cascading waterfall and puddles at the bottom allowing the cake to soak up all that sweet goodness!
The end result is a delicious brown sugar cake with subtle tea notes in each bite.
Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Tea Glaze
Ingredients:
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
3 Eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Cups milk
1 Large tea bag
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 Tsp baking powder
3/4 Tsp salt
2 Tablespoons prepared sweet tea
For the glaze-
1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2-4 Tbsp strongly brewed unsweet tea
1 Tsp tea reduction, recipe follows
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
Place milk and tea bag in a glass, place in microwave and heat for 25 seconds. Remove and allow to steep for at least 5 minutes.
Place butter and both sugars in a large bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla and mix to incorporate.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture and milk, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Pour in the prepared pan and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 60-75 minutes, checking after 50 minutes. At 50 minutes, if the tops and sides are beginning to brown too much, cover with foil and return until the cake is baked through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove and allow to cool in pan for five minutes. While in the pan, brush with 2 tablespoons of sweet tea. Remove from pan and transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
For syrup reduction-
Place 1/4 cup of strongly brewed unsweet tea and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to about 3/4 of it’s initial volume. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
For the glaze-
Combine butter, powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of unsweet tea in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the reduction and stir to combine. Add more unsweet tea until desired consistency is achieved.
Spread over the cooled cake and serve.
Recipe source: A Lynsey Original
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