TEA CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix.
• Scatter butter across surface. Pulse until butter is completely incorporated into dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and pulse a few times until the dough clumps together. Gather dough, barely kneading until you can shape the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. On a well floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll dough into a 1/4-inch thick circle. Use a 3-inch round cutter to punch out circles from the dough; transfer circles to prepared baking sheet. Reroll scraps and cut out additional circles.
• Bake until tea cakes have puffed slightly and barely take on color, 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing from baking sheet.

Steps:

• Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
• Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.
• In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don’t overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
• To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners’ sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.