Chocolate English Tea Cake Food

CHOCOLATE TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment.
• Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or melt in the microwave. Cool.
• Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar. Pour in chocolate and mix to combine.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Gently mix in the flour until it just disappears.
• Pour into prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake about 25 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack. Invert onto serving platter, peel paper and dust top with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE-GLAZED TEA-CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the butter and then the vanilla.
• While mixing slowly, add half the dry ingredients, then add all the milk, and follow with the rest of the dry ingredients. Take care not to over mix the batter. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared tin.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove. Cool on the rack completely.
• To assemble the cakes: Slice a small layer off the top of the domed side of each cupcake to make a flat surface. Peel cupcake liners off and place cakes upside down on a rack.
• To make the glaze: Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream, water and corn syrup to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and shake bowl gently so cream settles around the chocolate. Set mixture aside soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too many air bubbles.
• To Decorate: While still warm and loose, pour a thin layer of glaze (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per cake) over each cake. If desired, set aside for about one hour before serving; if pressed for time, slip the cakes into the freezer to set.
• Decorate mini cakes with fresh berries or candies. If using candies to decorate, press into still slightly wet glaze before it sets.

ENGLISH TEA CAKE AND RUSSIAN TEA

Steps:

• Combine yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Combine milk and water in a pot; heat until lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Rub in butter with fingertips. Add yeast mixture and remaining sugar. Gradually add the warmed milk. Blend until the dough becomes elastic and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Mix in the fruit and peel.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and pliable. Dust inside of a warm bowl; place dough in it. Cover with a lightly floured clean towel. Leave in a warm place, about 100 degrees F., until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured board. Gently knead; do not overwork. Cut dough into 6 even pieces. Shape into even, smooth rounds.
• Place cakes onto a baking sheet and cover with a towel. Let rest another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Once rested, bake cakes for 30 minutes.
• To make glaze: dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in water over low heat. Brush over hot cakes. Cool and serve.

TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Add the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together on high speed until it looks pale yellow, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the mixing speed to medium. Add the vanilla extract and molasses Add the egg and mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated. The dough should be a smooth, consistent texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda and set to the side.
• Reduce the mixing speed to low and add the dry ingredients slowly. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are saturated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, folding in any unincorporated ingredients.
• After the dough is well mixed, remove the dough from the mixer and place on a piece of parchment paper. Roll the parchment to create a log approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter (about 12 inches long). Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the chilled, firm log from the refrigerator. Remove the parchment and, using a sharp knife, slice the cookie dough in 1/4-inch circles. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The cookies will expand in the oven, so leave about 1 cookie width of space between them on the sheet (about 12 cookies per sheet). Work quickly, as these cookies should go into the oven while the dough is still cold.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies are ready when they are just beginning to brown and let off a fragrant brown butter smell. Allow the cookies to cool fully before serving.

TANGERINE-SOAKED TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter a 6-cup loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper, pressing it in firmly. Pour the bread crumbs into the pan and shake to coat the sides, then tip out any extra crumbs. In a small bowl, combine the tangerine zest, tangerine juice and lemon juice. Stir and set aside. Sift together the pre-sifted flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and mix well. Add eggs 1 at a time and mix well. With the mixer running at low speed, add alternating batches of dry ingredients and buttermilk until the batter is just mixed. Add the fruit juice and zest and mix. Pour into the prepared pan and set on a sheet pan. Bake on the sheet pan until the cake is firm in the center and a tester inserted into the center comes out dry and clean (a few crumbs are okay), 70 to 80 minutes.
• When the cake is done, let cool in the pan 15 minutes (it will still be warm). Run a knife around the sides of the pan. Set a wire rack on a sheet pan with sides (to catch the glaze) and turn the cake out onto the rack. Peel off the waxed paper. Using a turkey baster or pastry brush, spread the glaze all over the top and sides of the cake and let soak in. Repeat until all of the glaze is used up, including any glaze that has dripped through onto the sheet pan. Let cool at room temperature or, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator (well wrapped, the cake will last up to a week). Serve at room temperature, in thin slices.
• Glaze: In a bowl, stir the juices and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved.

CHOCOLATE EARL GREY TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven 325 degrees.
• Place rack to centre.
• Grease 10 inch angel food pan.
• Place tea bags into a measuring cup and pour over 2/3 cup boiling water.
• Let steep 6 minutes.
• Remove tea bags, squeezing any liquid into the cup.
• Let cool to room temperature.
• Melt chocolate in the top of double boiler until smooth.
• Remove let cool.
• Puree marmalade in processor or through a sieve. Set aside.
• Using electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
• Stir in the melted chocolate.
• Now stop using mixer and use the wooden spoon, for combining.
• Stir in the marmalade, walnuts, and vanilla.
• Combine the flour, baking powder in a bowl.
• Beat in the flour mixture, alternating with the cold tea into the chocolate mixture in two additions. DO NOT OVERBEAT-- Pour the batter into prepared pan.
• Bake until tester comes away clean-- about 60- 70 minutes.
• Transfer to wire rack and cool 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife cut around the edges to loosen then turn out.
• Cool completely.
• Bring the cream to a boil, and pour over the chopped chocolate.
• Let stand to melt.
• stirring now until smooth.
• Place cake onto plate-- Glaze the top and letting glaze drip down the sides of cake.
• Cover with a dome top.
• Store at room temperature.
• Can be made the day before serving.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 deg.
• F.
• Grease and flour a 9" round cake pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, egg yolks and butter until smooth.
• Then add the grated chocolate, ground almonds, flour and milk, and blend well.
• Add the mashed potato (first softened with a fork) to the creamed mixture.
• Place egg whites in another bowl and whisk until stiff, then lightly fold into the cake mixture.
• Transfer mixture to prepared cake pan.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until an inserted cake skewer/toothpick comes out clean.
• Decorate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy. Stir in flour, vanilla extract, baking powder, and baking soda until dough is well mixed. Drop spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.