Fresh Mint Tea Cake
Doing the Happy Dance again! I am always eager to create recipes based on the ingredients in my kitchen. But I’ve strangely struggled to find what I want on the internet. Funny right? I had mint leaves and wanted to go beyond using it as a dressing in salads or making umpteen cups of herbal mint tea. And since I LOVE baking, I said, how about a cake. I decided to look for inspiration in some of the “best blogs” But shockingly 95% of them used mint essence, mint essential oil, peppermint, mint syrup/frosting/ buttercream, etc. One or two used fresh mint leaves but the method subtly indicated that I might have to add tooth floss to the ingredient list to take care of those leaves lodged between my teeth after eating. No thank you! So I was left with no choice but to do what I love doing most - Experimental Baking. This is pure labour of love. I can vouch for one thing at the end of it all - It’s a moist refreshing Fresh Mint Cake. with a pleasant aftertaste.
I request you to follow the recipe to the T. Read the handy Tips before you begin.
Ingredients:
9 grams, Fresh Mint (rinsed)
70 grams caster sugar
90 grams unsalted butter room temperature
2 eggs
50 grams All Purpose Flour
60 grams Semolina
1 tbsp almond milk/ regular milk
1 tbsp mint leaves water (read recipe below)
1/ 2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
A few tsps of dark chocolate OR white chocolate shavings / pieces
TIPS:
Pre-Heating the Oven: Do not pre-heat your oven at the start. Prepare your batter mix first. This gives the batter some time to rest and flavours to seep in. You’re welcome :)
Fresh Mint Water: Do NOT discard the mint water. if you happen to forget, we can’t do much about it. But remember it is actual mint concentrate and gives that maximum refreshing pick-me-up flavour to the cake!
Electric Whisk ❌: Do NOT use a Hand-held electric whisk or the cake will not lend any texture. We just whisk manually in Step 7.
Less Chocolate please: Do NOT use too much chocolate because if you do, the fresh mint won’t stand out. It’s a Fresh Mint cake. Not a chocolate cake!
Baking Time: Use your judgement while baking as every oven/ OTG works differently.
Method:
Step 1: Grease a mini loaf tin and line with parchment paper and keep aside.
( Do not pre-heat your oven at the start. Read the Tips 👆🏽)
Step 2: Take a Kitchen Towel Sheet/ tissue paper and place it on a clean dry platform.
Step 3: Now take a utensil and pour a cup of water into it.
Heat it and bring to a rolling boil and switch off.
Throw the mint leaves in.
Let it steep in this water for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Scoop only the leaves out after 30 seconds and spread them on the kitchen towel sheet. Pat them dry.
(Keep the boiled ‘mint water ‘ . Read the Tips 👆🏽)
Step 5: Take your food processor/ mixer/ blender
Put the mint and sugar and process till the mint is finely chopped and becomes a mint sugar powder. (taste it it's soooo addictive 🤤)
Now add butter, eggs and blitz it well till its creamy.
Step 6: Take a Bowl
Add the sifted flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda and salt
Stir the dry ingredients well to ensure the powders are mixed properly.
Step 7: Pour the Mint, sugar, egg butter batter into the dry mix and whisk it well with a metal or silicone whisk. Do NOT use an electric whisk.(Read the Tips 👆🏽)
Step 8: Add vanilla essence, 1 tbsp of milk and 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves water.
Step 9: Pour half the batter in the loaf tin and sprinkle with chocolate shavings , followed by remaining batter, and then more chocolate pieces or shavings. Keep the chocolate shavings minimal (Read the Tips 👆🏽)
Step 10: Get the pre-heating started.
Bake this in a Pre-heated Oven, 180°C / 350° F for about 35 minutes. The cake will rise, be firm to the touch and do the toothpick test. It should come out clean.
Look at that Gorgeous colour! I wish you could taste this. Happy Baking!