Honeybush.

Robert's (my guy <3) mother is from South Africa and she introduced me to rooibos tea and the traditions surrounding it. She recently mentioned honeybush which I had never tried but was interested in. Along with the Persian Plum Rose , Blossom sent me a sample of Honeybush as well.

I used one of my favorite recipes for chocolate cake and adapted it to make it extra honeybush infused!

This tea was fascinating, it almost looks like mulch and smells very earthy. From the scent, I did not expect the taste in the cake.

While I was mixing the cake and also while I was baking it, the brewed honeybush had such a strong aroma it was filling the apartment. It was wonderful!

Honeybush infused milk.

Hot honeybush tea.

Two layers of honeybush goodness.

I decided to top this off with a honey buttercream frosting that I've made before and is SO good.

Cake:

2 cups brown sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk infused with honeybush
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup hot Honeybush
pinch of salt

Frosting:

2 sticks of butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons honey
1 cups powdered sugar*

What I like to do is mix the honey and the butter then gradually add in powdered sugar little by little until I like the consistency of the frosting. So it may be less than 1 cup or more based on preference. Don't forget to taste test too because frosting gets sweet fast!

Cake Instructions

1. Prepare the honeybush infused milk by heating the 1 cup of milk. Do not let it boil. Drop 2 tablespoons or more of honeybush into the tea depending on how strong you want it. Let it sit for several minutes. Pour the milk through a strainer and let cool.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

3. Add in eggs, yogurt, vanilla and honeybush infused milk.

4. Boil water and pour one cup of boiling water in a cup. Place 1-2 tablespoons of honeybush in a teabag and place in boiling water. Let it brew for a few minutes then pour hot, brewed tea into cake mixture. Gently mix.

5. Pour batter (will be thin) into two 9 inch pans that are greased and floured. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

6. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, frost with honey buttercream. I used a thin layer to make them almost "naked" but feel free to use more!

Do you have a favorite tea infused sweet?!

Majestic & Moist.

I opened up this Home Sweet Home blend and had a little freak out. There are candy snowflakes and Christmas trees in it! If you follow me on Instagram you know that I'm a bit Christmas crazy, so this tea only encouraged my Christmas spirit.

This blend is very festive! The other ingredients include black tea, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and jasmine pedals. It smells like what I hope my house smells like throughout the holiday season. The cinnamon scent really pops.

I try to create my own recipes but when I came across this cake recipe, I couldn't resist: Majestic and Moist honey cake. The spices in this cake sealed the deal for me, I knew they would go well with the taste of the tea.

Here is the recipe to check out and follow: Majestic & Moist Honey Cake Recipe

I made a few changes!

First, from the choices given I used a bundt pan. Make sure to butter the pan before pouring any batter into it.
I used all brown sugar instead of some white and some brown
I used applesauce in place of the vegetable oil
I used Home Sweet Home tea blend from For Tea's Sake
I didn't use almonds but only because of the audience I created the cake for, feel free to use them!

This recipe is SUPER dense but delicious. At first glance, I wasn't sure that all the ingredients mixed together would produce a yummy cake but I was wrong! The tea really gives the cake a wonderful aroma. This is the perfect cake for the holidays!

I've posted a few times about the blends from For Tea's Sake and I thought it would be fun for you to learn a bit more about the company. I had the opportunity to ask Sarah, their social media marketing manager a little more about the company. I love her answers, especially about the versatility of tea <3

1) How was the name 'For Tea's Sake" chosen for the company?

A lot of our inspiration and ethos comes down to one simple moment. Enjoying a cup of tea. It’s such a simple concept, and we loved the play on words. (For Tea’s Sake!)

2) Do you all have a specific process for choosing your blends?

We do a ton of research on blends, food trends, and what’s emerging in major tea markets. From there we built out our three classifications (CORE, WELLNESS & ARTISAN). Everything we create comes back to these pillars so it’s a real foundation for us. We wanted to appeal to tea consumers at all levels and each of our classes allows us to do that.

CORE – for those know what they like, and expect certain standards for their tea.

WELLNESS – for those looking to focus on the healing and wellness benefits in tea, much more health-centric

ARTISAN – big for gift giving, moments, and occasions

We also source our tea’s from farms world-wide, ensuring everything we produce is natural (no artificial flavors), authentic, and pure. Quality is a big focus for us!

3) If you could have tea with anyone past or present who would it be and where?

We’d love to share a cup of tea with Thomas Edition. His passion for innovation and creation is simply unparalleled. His commitment to his craft is all kinds of inspiration.

4) How would you convince someone to switch from coffee to tea?

We’re a big believer in education, so for us a priority is always helping our customers understand what they are putting into their bodies. The most compelling part of tea drinking for us is the range of purposes it can have in your life, it’s so versatile. It can be consumed to give you a jump start to the day or it can help you unwind and relax for a cozy night in. Not to mention it’s the second most consumed beverage in the world! We’d definitely use our knowledge to educate coffee drinkers on why they might want to consider making tea a stronger part of their routine because of the different purposes it fulfills. That said, coffee drinkers are certainly stead-fast in their commitment, so a convert would be a big accomplishment!

5) What is your current favorite tea blend?

This is a tough one! One of our original blends that still delights us is SLEEP WELL. Some of us over here have becomes addicted to it nightly!!!

6) What is your favorite part about drinking tea?

As we mentioned, definitely a fan of the versatility but we’d also call out the health & wellness benefits as being a huge plus. Every blend serves a unique and important purpose and we love being able to constantly evolve with new blend trends.

7)What is your favorite tea pun?

How can we choose! Let’s just say it’s always a par-tea when we’re involved ;)

If you want to try this recipe using the same tea blend I did, you can use Naza15 for 15% off your first order from For Tea's Sake.

Have you tried a honey cake recipe that you loved? Share with me!

Chocolate Honeybush Cake w/ Honey Buttercream Frosting

Home Sweet Home Honey Cake