Just my cup a' tea...

 

Growing up, there was always a fresh pot of Earl Grey sitting on our breakfast table. Dressed in its Sunday best, the all familiar mustard tea cosy. I suppose it's because of this, that it is still my drink of choice. To me, a cup of tea is a comforting, calming and cherished ritual. Essentially, it's like a hug in a cup. So you can imagine how over the moon I was to discover this. An Earl Grey Tea Loaf.

May I recommend this recipe to all fellow tea drinkers.  A delicate and fragrant loaf topped with a zesty lemon drizzle. I mixed it up a little, adding a tsp of Blue Lady tea, and I'm sure this recipe could be experimented with even more. Instead of a drizzle, you could incorporate some lemon (or orange) rind into the mix. I think I'll try using chai tea next time..

 

 The ingredients...

2 tbsp of loose Earl Grey tea 

(or 3 bags with tea leaves taken out)

60 ml boiled water

80ml milk

150g butter

150g sugar

2 eggs

200g flour

1 tsp baking powder

Lemon drizzle ...

230g icing sugar

Juice and rind on half a lemon

Oven at 170 C 

Steep your tea leaves in boiling water for about 5 minutes and then add to the cold milk. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and beat in the eggs. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add half of this to the butter mix, then half of the tea. Combine and repeat. Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes. Test with a knife, it should come out clean. Don't fret if it's still not cooked in the centre, just cover the loaf with tin foil so the top doesn't burn and keep baking until it's done. If opting for the drizzle, do so once cooled. x