Welcome the freshness of spring and the joy of Easter with our Lemon Earl Grey Cake. Infused with the citrusy notes of lemon and the distinctive flavor of Earl Grey tea, this cake is a celebration in every slice. Perfect for an Easter gathering or a cozy tea time, it pairs beautifully with our range of teas, enhancing each bite with subtle, comforting flavors.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (240ml) milk
• 4 Earl Grey tea bags
• 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• For the Glaze:
  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat and Prepare:
   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

2. Infuse the Milk:
   Warm the milk without boiling it, then steep the Earl Grey tea bags in the milk for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tea bags to extract maximum flavor and discard them.

3. Mix Dry Ingredients:
   In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Cream Butter and Sugar:
   In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice.

5. Combine:
   Alternately add the dry ingredients and the infused milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

6. Bake:
   Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Glaze:
   Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to create a smooth glaze. Adjust the consistency with more lemon juice or powdered sugar if needed. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

8. Serve and Enjoy:
   Serve slices of this Lemon Earl Grey Cake with a pot of your favorite tea. The zesty flavors will complement any tea selection, making it a perfect dessert for Easter or any springtime gathering.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: Approximately 20 truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
• 8 ounces (225g) high-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Cocoa powder, for dusting
• Optional for decoration: white chocolate and food coloring

Instructions:

1. Infuse the Cream: Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat, add the Earl Grey tea leaves, and allow them to steep for 5 minutes. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the tea leaves, pressing on them to extract maximum flavor. Discard the leaves.

2. Make Ganache: Place the finely chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Reheat the infused cream until it simmers again, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute to soften the chocolate, then add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Stir gently until the mixture is smooth and glossy. If any chocolate pieces remain unmelted, you can gently heat the mixture over a pot of simmering water (double boiler method), stirring until smooth.

3. Chill: Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until the ganache is firm enough to shape.

4. Shape the Truffles: Once chilled, use a melon baller or a small spoon to scoop out portions of the ganache. Roll between your palms quickly to form balls. If the mixture becomes too soft, return it to the refrigerator to firm up.

5. Decorate: Roll the truffles in cocoa powder for a classic finish. For an Easter touch, melt white chocolate, divide it into small batches, and tint each with food coloring. Drizzle or dip the truffles to add festive colors. Allow to set before serving.

6. Serving Suggestion: Serve these luxurious Earl Grey-infused chocolate truffles with a selection of teas. The complex flavors of the truffles will beautifully complement the tea, creating a memorable dessert experience for your Easter gathering.

Spring is here, and with it comes the joy of Easter! As the days lengthen and flowers begin to bloom, it's the perfect time to gather with loved ones and celebrate new beginnings. At Mrs Doyle's Tea, we believe there's no better way to warm your heart and home this Easter than with a steaming cup of delicious tea.

A Tea for Every Easter Tastebud

This year, we've brewed up a delightful selection of special Easter tea blends to tantalize your taste buds. Whether you're a fan of fragrant floral teas reminiscent of spring's fresh blooms, or prefer something more decadent like our chocolatey treats blends, we have a tea that's sure to become an Easter favorite.

The Perfect Easter Gift

Looking for a unique and thoughtful Easter gift? Look no further than Mrs Doyle's Tea! We've curated beautiful Easter gift baskets filled with our finest loose leaf teas and delightful treats. It's a gift that's sure to impress any tea lover.

Make it a Mrs Doyle's Easter

This Easter, create lasting memories with friends and family over a steaming cup of tea from Mrs Doyle's. visit our store to discover the perfect tea and treats for your Easter celebration.

Wishing you a joyous and hoppy Easter from all of us at Mrs Doyle's Tea!

Black tea has remarkable benefits for the skin, including reducing puffiness under the eyes and freckles on the skin. Drinking Black tea reduces body inflammation because of it has high antioxidant. also, it helps skin and hair health.

Black tea has minerals, zinc, magnesium and calcium. It also contains vitamins E, C and B2. Drinking black tea has unique benefits for the skin. Its mask also has a tremendous effect on the beauty of the skin.

Black tea makes the skin rejuvenate

black tea contains a lot of polyphenols and antioxidants, drinking it helps to relieve wrinkles and facial wrinkles, which also rejuvenates the skin.

Treatment of skin infections

Black tea contains a large amount of flavonoids that prevent and treat skin infections.

Treatment of acne and facial pimples

Drinking black tea can reduce acne or facial pimples on the skin. because it has anti -inflammatory and antimicrobial substance.

 Treatment of skin brown spots

Due to its strong antioxidant ,it detoxifies the body, which can also be effective in the treatment of skin brown spots.

Use black tea as a natural sunscreen

Some dermatologists believe that black tea contains a lot of strong antioxidants that drinking it, protects the skin from UV radiation. It also reduces sunburn.

Treatment of black circle under the eyes

Black tea contains some caffeine that drinks it improves blood circulation in the skin under the eyes, which will greatly help treat black and puffiness under the eyes.

Prevention of skin cancer with black tea

As mentioned, black tea contains a lot of antioxidants, which also improves all types of cancers, especially skin cancer.

If you want to live a long life and a healthy life—it's very much a matter of what you eat and drink. So next time you are shopping in the supermarket or health store check out their loose leaf teas and herbal infusions or if they don't stock loose leaf tea then simply go online, infect most high end foods these days can be shipped to you by next day delivery, including loose leaf teas. .

What are the best foods for longevity for people who live in Britain and Ireland ?

Our climate can be difficult in winter but all the natural ingredients that we need for a healthy life do grow in these islands, it is just a matter of knowing how to use them. So what are the life boosting foods we should all be using .

BERRIES FOR LIFE 

Yes berries are natures secrete weapon to help keep us healthy, in the UK and Ireland we  are not part of the Blue Zone of countries where people commonly reach their 90's but we do have the most amazing variety of berries growing everywhere and sure today we can pick them up in the supper market and buy a pack of frozen berries, i love blueberries but what ever your tastes are go for it.. Also beans , leafy greens are all linked to giving you extra years to your life. So  what are the best types of drink to help us live a long life ? 

For a long time they said red wine in moderation could be beneficial but new research seems to indicate that even small amounts of any alcoholic beverage is not really that good for you ! To day almost all research indicates that the best drink for longevity is actually green tea. Tea is a super beverage that has potent phenolic compounds which can help fight cancer and protect our cardiovascular system. Green tea is by far the winner for healthy drinks, it is  rich in catechins, which are some of the most powerful disease-fighting phytonutrients we can find anywhere on the plant kingdom.

So green tea protects against cancer and helps your heart stay healthy and also very importantly it can help you sleep better. The studies undertaken around the world seems to indicate that  drinking green tea on a regular basis is directly linked to living a long and  healthy life. 

There was a 2018 study which found that regular tea drinkers have a reduced risk in age-related decreases of high-density lipoprotein , that is in ordinary English it helps with "good" cholesterol"! .Green and black tea are helpful with green tea having a slightly stronger effect than black tea. It has also been found that Green tea’s EGCGs , which is a type of good for you catechin, which is particularly prevalent in the tea and this may help inhibit tumor growth.

Green tea is also good for your gut health as within your gut there are beneficial gut bugs, these feed on foods rich in polyphenols, which include green tea. One of these beneficial gut bugs is called akkermansia muciniphila and it is this bug that supports the protective mucus layer that prevents a leaky gut , it basically keeps the gut lining strong. It has been found that low levels of this critical bacteria have been linked to diabetes, obesity,  autoimmune disease, cancer, and  heart disease.

It also seems that green tea is good for the brain, this is because of green tea has caffeine and catechins, and it is these Catechins that can help protect your body from free radicals, so protecting both your brain and the rest of your system.

So green tea is definitely a supper food and most definitely the winner, it is the best beverage to help you live a long and healthy life. 

So how much green tea should you drink? we think two cups a day is perfect !

What if you don't like the taste of green tea ?

That is not a problem , because high end tea companies have expert blenders who add little touches of taste like vanilla which is actually our most loved , yes green tea vanilla is the most healthiest breakfast tea. Also green tea is blended with many really good ingredients like mint, check out our Mr Doyle's chillout tea , it is probably the best minty tea in the world and also you can have green tea with rose petals like our Emperors Seven Secrets tea or try a green tea blended with white tea .

The overall message is that green tea is really good for you and so we would say check out the many tastes of green tea and the many blends of green tea with other herbal infusions so that you can taste the best and most healthy drinks in the world , Go On Go.

Oolong tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant, and it is  totally  good for you

Health Benefits of Oolong Tea

 Can oolong tea be used to help with weight loss?

We know oolong tea has many health benefits. Oolong comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant and so it is  rich in antioxidants. 

If ypu want the best tea for your health , simply pick pure loose leaf tea, which is grown sustainably and grown  without pesticides or herbicides.Hand grown and crafted tea will always taste better and it will be so much better for the environment.

Oolong tea high in caffeine?

Oolong tea is usually picked later than many teas, so the leaf is lift on the bush for a longer time which increases its caffeine content. So yes the caffeine content in oolong tea is usually higher.So if you need a hit of caffeine it does the job but you can keep adding hot walter to the same leaves and it still tastes great after 3 OR 4 cups of tea!

The big question will oolong Tea help you loose weight?

There's is some research that may suggest that bacause there are higher caffeine levels in Oolong that it might help speed up metabolism, other than that theres no definite research to conclude anything else!

Can you put milk in Oolong Tea?

There is a type oolong called Milk Oolong which comes from Taiwan. It is made in a particular way to help the flavours and aromas of the hot milk.

We think it very important to chose your oolong very carefully. Puting milk in your oolong IS REALLY A PERSONAL TASTE TYPE THING! . Milk was not added in ancient times, but we love it with a dash of milk ,so Go On what ever you feel like, main think is to take your time and enjoy every cip!

Either way Mrs Doyle's Oolong tea has to be tasted it is totally amazing on the taste buds.

• The best tea for vegans and those drinking less milk 

Mrs Doyle's Irish breakfast tea is the winner of the best Irish breakfast tea on the island for the last 5 years and is so smooth that it tastes as good without milk as it does with Milk .

Mrs Doyle says its because of the finest teas and her secrete method of blending teas . There are other types of teas that work great without milk so here's Mrs Doyle's list    

• Oolong tea is a perfect tea any time of day
• White tea gives a great choice
• Yellow tea for those of us with an even milder taste
• Green tea is perhaps the best for a healthy option
• Try Ripe Pu’erh for a darker richer choice
• Earl grey is great for the zesty option
• Fruit teas will always  be  great in on a sunny day
• looking for something different try Rooibos tea 
• in the evening try Chamomile 

Going Vegan for Easter ? it can be difficult if you love your tea with milk , what to do ? find an alternative to milk or find a tea that simply tastes as good without milk , like Mrs Doyle's Irish tea !

We have had lots of questions from customers all over the world on vegan tea and lots of remarks from customers who tell us that because  Mrs Doyle's tea is so smooth and rich,  it simply doesn't  need  milk, and well it's true , and of course  you don’t have to stick to black tea either as there's lots of great herbal teas .

Also to day there is a a lot of dairy-free milk alternatives out there , easily available , in health food shops and  pretty much all supermarkets, too. If you do really need to have a really creamy tea here's a list of milks that go really well with black teas: almond milk, hazelnut milk, coconut milk, oat milk, rice milk, hemp milk and, of course, soya milk. They all have many health benefits but you have to try them to see what's perfect for your taste and it's definitely worth experimenting ,

So Go On try everything once ...well almost everything 

1. what if you want to cut back on your intake of milk and diary but love a little milk in your cup of Irish breakfast tea ? If you fee like messing around with almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk or rice milk well best of luck , but honestly, these alternatives are all good but its just not a decent cup of tea. However things are about to change ! Well Mrs Doyle loves vegans, she loves everyone and so she has come up with her brand new Irish tea specifically designed for all of us who want our cup of tea without milk or any thing else pretending to be milk ! Yes this new blend is so silky on the taste buds you wont even notice there's no milk !                                                 Mrs Doyle's and her team of lovely girls have been working in their tea lab for the last year during the Irish lockdown and have come up with an amazing Irish blend that is perfect without milk ! Mrs Doyle being a perfectionist and with her PHD in Tea decided to test the new blend  on the total population of Ireland for 1 month last year in 140 Aldi stores across the island and the feedback was amazing , its just as lovely without milk ,close your eyes and you cant tell!  that's how lovely it is !  so Go On and check it out  now exclusively on sale on Mrs Doyle's online shop www.mrsdoylesteashop.ie   Go on be nice to your self for lent