Friday, December 26, 2014

Entertaining with Earl Grey. . . . . . . .



He's delicious in a pretty china cup balanced on a matching saucer. . . . . . that 
very well known Earl Grey.  Being one of the most well known teas in the West, 
his delicious citrus flavor infused with a dash of aromatic orange bergamot, delivers 
an uplifting tea with a unique floral aroma.

But, Earl Grey can also flavor other tasty morsels, such as this fruited teacake.
It's such fun to make a cake with a nice strong cup of tea thrown in.
I no longer make the huge traditional English Christmas cake - a rich, dark fruited
monster weighing several pounds, and baked in early November to enable
the addition of several 'feeds' of rum or brandy over the weeks 'til Christmas. 
For the past few years this small teacake with raisins, sultanas and chopped 
walnuts has worked well. I still add a layer of almond paste and soft 
icing made with fresh lemon juice, just like the real thing! 


Teatime today - a slice of cake with a cup of tea - celebrating 'the Earl' on a Winter afternoon.

Do you have a favorite tea you enjoy sipping?

13 comments:

  1. that's lovely! a blessed and happy Christmas to you! Earl Grey is such an enjoyable tea!

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  2. We like Earl Grey here too, but my all time favorite tea is Marco Polo by Mariage Freres. Have you tried it?
    Happy Boxing Day!

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  3. Dear Mary, You always come up with the most delectable goodies. The fruited tea cake with almond paste and lemon icing looks absolutely scrumptious.
    I have never tasted Earl Grey to my knowledge. Must give it a try. We usually drink teas from the leaves I gather during the year such as peppermint and linden.

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  4. Oh, that looks divine. I love Mr. Grey & your photos. Deb

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  5. Oh that looks delicious. I like a nice cup of White Tea - it is a light tea and needs no sweetening. It is calming and the perfect tea with a cookie or a bit of leftover pie.

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  6. Mary, I have been catching up on your posts and hope you had a beautiful Christmas! I have been enjoying Trader Joe's Green Tea and Peppermint as of late...with a bit of honey added. It is really nice. I also enjoy a spicy tea with a hint of orange. I do like Earl Grey, too.

    Have a terrific New Year!!!! Thank you for having such a beautiful blog.

    xxo
    Becky

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  7. Your Earl Grey cake sounds absolutely delicious Mary! A good idea to swap the traditional Christmas cake for this lighter version.

    Wishing you a Happy New Year!

    Madelief x

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  8. I love Earl Grey Tea along with Lady Grey too, it gives such a freshness. Your cake looks absolutely delicious and I can taste the marzipan! Have a wonderful 2015 !!xx

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  9. I like Earl Grey tea also. Your cake looks delicious. I usually buy Laura Secord dark fruit cake with almond icing. Your pic are beautiful as usually

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  10. Mary..I've been catching up with you tonight. Your sweets have me craving just that subtle taste of sugar and spice! Your traditional treats inspire me to "get outside the box"! Thank you!

    I am hoping you and Bob had a wonderful Christmas celebration! I, myself, am ready to relax a bit more and then get my home back to some normalcy (if that's possible!). Time to dream of spring soon and I hope, a possible meet up! :)

    With love,

    Jane x

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  11. Mary, I am allergic to coffee so tea is my drink! I love Earl Grey but also love vanilla tea of any kind! I used to buy some loose tea that was vanilla flavored from a little place in Maine, but they went out of business. I think John and I have found a new place and it is so good!! Tea is just so wonderful and can be used for so many different things! Enjoy!

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  12. How I would love this recipe, it just looks soooooo delicious and perfect for tea time.
    You know me and tea, my favorite these days is a couple different black teas: 1) Alishan Black from Taiwan and 2) Yunnan Gold or sometimes called Dian Hong from Yunnan Province of China. They would be just perfection with your cake.

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  13. Oh my gosh, that looks so divine and to think you made it. My mouth is salivating...even though it;s now quite gone and years old. YUM! It's been yonks since I at anything like that. Also, of course, it's the traditional English wedding cake, sans the Earl grey tea. My mother always says it's her favourite of all cakes. She is so very very English and proper to this day but with her dementia now, not nearly the woman she used to be. Sad.

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