This past Sunday was the hubby’s birthday, which incorporated many of his favorite things: wild animals (at the zoo) RA Sushi in Baltimore (you’ve not eaten sushi until you’ve eaten here… nor will you ever enjoy sushi anywhere else once you have), grill-fired jerk chicken (post yet to come!) and… birthday cake! But not just any birthday cake. Key lime cake infused with 2 different loose leaf teas, to be exact. (Side note: I distinctly remember being ridiculed by a certain Hulk for my love of key lime cupcakes, specifically, and ONLY, from Georgetown Cupcake. But oh, how the tables turned on our drive home from Boston–after spending about 40 minutes in line at GTC Newbury for my Saturdays-only treat–when I woke up to find my cupcake gone and my then fiance raving about how awesome key lime cupcakes are… He’s lucky I love him). So now, back to real-time, the irony of his request shamelessly takes full effect.
I know what you’re thinking. Tea infusions? In… cake? Yes. Here’s the thing: Hulks love tea. And they love sweets. It truly is the best of his favorite things (minus gummies, which I REFUSE to include in any of my culinary escapades… other than a possible recreation of “dirt” made in my Pre-K class). But back to the tea- in particular, Hulks loves green tea. So when I (convenientely) picked up a part-time job at Teavana what seems like eons ago, he was in tea heaven (as the company name would suggest). What ensued shortly after my first day was a series of tea baking experiments that were each perfectly delicious. But, after leaving Teavana I wasn’t bringing home the goods, so our tea baking subsided. However, it was the very first thing to cross his mind when I asked what his grand vision for his birthday cake would be.
So, naturally, I found myself right back at Teavana searching out some new teas to try in what turned out to be the lastest and greatest tea-based confection. I knew for a fact I wanted to incorporate Jade Citrus Mint, a long-time favorite, both for its green tea qualities and bright, aromatic flavor. But I wanted something else, something new to emphasize the key limeyness he specifically requested (hmph!). Enter Limeade Twist, an herbal tea (thus, sans caffeine) that brings the full range of citrus flavor with an extra lime kick. It was perfect!
Now there is some debate over the best way to do tea infusions. By all means, do NOT throw tea into your batter. It is NOT the same as adding fresh (or dried) herbs to your baked goods. First, the flavor will not fully extract. Second, that’s not the kind of crunch you’re looking for. Further, don’t even bother with tea bags. I’m not just saying this as a former Teavana employee. Really and truly, the intensity of flavor you get from the full tea leaves and the actual fruit, etc. used for infusions blows the little sawdust wrapped up in a paper bag completely out of the water. There is no comparison. Once you’ve got the tea sorted out, the infusion method is the next branch of the decision tree. Some like to steep their tea in milk. I suppose this could work, especially since this recipe does in fact call for milk; however, it’s buttermilk, which brings its own flavor, and won’t fully facilitate the flavor infusion. I prefer to infuse my tea into the butter. By melting down the butter and allowing the tea to steep, all the flavor is absorbed into the otherwise relatively flavorless, unsalted butter. What’s more, the butter is the base of the recipe, so you’ll be sure to fully incorporate the tea flavor into the whole cake from the very beginning.
It’s also important to allow the infused butter to cool down to room temperature and then set in the fridge so that it’s “whippable.” Cooled, melted butter can work, but your cake won’t be as light and fluffy. You want light and fluffy.
Let’s talk about these key limes. Not as hard to find as I thought (I–literally–walked right into them in the international market in my neighborhood) but definitely a labor of love. You see them and think, “They’re so cute and tiny!” but tiny turns out to be far from cute when you’re sleep deprived and nearly zesting your fingers off trying to get those critical 2 tablespoons (yes, key lime zest is like gold. It took 13 of these lovelies to get what I needed!)
They are, however, well worth the effort. A bit sweeter than your average lime, key limes bring a lightness of flavor that’s still tangy but not as intense. You can use regular limes in a pinch, but definitely get key limes if you can! (Just don’t wait until 10pm to start baking like I may or may not have…)
The recipe that follows makes a 2 layer, 6-inch cake (pans half filled) plus 1 dozen cupcakes (or 2 dozen cupcakes… or a 2 layer, 8-inch cake). Hubby wanted his own personal cake (which he’s gratefully been sharing with yours truly) and cupcakes for the familia. You can cut the recipe in half if you only need a dozen cupcakes.
For the icing, I made a whipped key lime buttercream with a little of the leftover infused butter plus more unsalted butter, a bit of whipping cream, some powdered sugar and more key lime zest and juice (zest of 6, juice of 1).
This was definitely well worth the effort, as my wonderful husband thoroughly enjoyed his cake and had an enjoyable birthday weekend (we celebrate for 3 days around here). Definitely give this recipe a try if you’re looking for a fun, new experiment!
Happy zesting! 🙂
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons key lime zest
- 4 tablespoons key lime juice
- 1½ cups unsalted butter*
- 2 ounces of Teavana Limeade Twist loose leaf tea
- 1 ounce of Teavana Jade Citrus Mint loose leaf tea
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 4 large egg whites
- 1½ cups unsalted butter (3 sticks) plus leftover infused butter from cake, at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon key lime zest (from 6 key limes), plus more for garnish
- 1½ teaspoons key lime juice (from 1 key lime)
- Splash of whipping cream (about a tablespoon)
- Melt 3 sticks of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once butter is just melted, spoon in your tea leaves, stirring to combine. After about a minute or two, turn off the heat (but don't move the pot!) and allow the tea to steep.
- Once the butter reaches room temperature, strain the tea over a measuring cup using a fine strainer. (I had exactly 1 cup of melted butter without having to squeeze anything out of the tea leaves, and was able to squeeze out another ¼ cup to use in my icing.) Cover measuring cups of the strained, infused butter with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, but not completely solid (about 30-45 minutes). While the butter sets, feel free to get a head start on zesting! 🙂
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If making cupcakes, line a muffin tin with paper liners. If making cakes, spray cake pans with nonstick cooking spray, or butter and lightly flour pans (be sure to tap out all excess flour!).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and key lime zest.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, mix the buttermilk, vanilla and key lime juice, stirring to combine. Set both bowls aside while you turn to your butter!
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip infused butter for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue whipping until combined and butter turns a pale yellow color. Once the sugar is incorporated, add in eggs, one at a time, followed by egg whites. Then, alternate adding dry and wet ingredients. (You may need to stop the mixer a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl and loosen up the ingredients on the bottom.)
- With the mixer on low speed (so as not to flour-bomb your entire kitchen), add ½ of the dry ingredients. Allow that to mix in before adding all of the wet ingredients. Once that's incorporated, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't over-mix!
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin/cake pan(s) and bake away! Cupcakes will take 22-25 minutes, with the 6" cakes taking closer to 35 minutes. You'll know they're done when the cakes spring back when touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. (Note for cake rounds: use a knife or offset spatula to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan when it comes out of the oven. Then, after about 10 minutes, invert the cake, still in the pan, and allow to cool completely upside-down on the wire rack).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then, put the mixer on low speed and gradually incorporate the powdered sugar, about a half cup at a time. Once the sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer speed back up to medium and add in vanilla, lime zest, juice and whipping cream. Whip on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and airy.
- Once the (cup)cakes have cooled, frost, garnish and enjoy!