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.

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.

It seems  a little filtered tea into at least one of your daily glasses of water could provide you with enough wrinkle-fighting antioxidants and detoxifying botanicals to keep you looking young and also feeling fresher than when you were 21.

Our skin is the largest organ we have, the secret of great glowing skin is to be healthy. Organic green teas have lots of polyphenols which can help fight free radicals and so help prevent skin damage from UV light, which is one of the main causes of  wrinkles. 

When we get a little older we have more exposure to UV light, and your skin can look old and it can even change the skins colour. In some studies Oolong tea has been found to have skin lighting abilities and may decrease the amount of melanin at the cellular level. 

Does green tea help your skin? 

Green tea can help ease the removal of extra fluids and also help accelerate toxin elimination, adding a little hint of grapefruit to green tea gives a sweet kick to the to it , and can also help to even out your complexion.

Perhaps one of the reasons we have a little feeling of pure pleasure is because tea drinking can help lower the post stress cortisol levels. Cortisol is a common steroid hormone and has many roles like controlling blood sugar levels and can act as an anti-inflammatory and also help to influencing memory formation and help control your blood pressure. Also Teas made with cinnamon can help curb some peoples appetite? How cinnamon works is not exactly known but it is believed that it keeps blood glucose levels stable and so reduces cravings, so adding cinnamon to food can help reduce glucose levels after eating .

This month our recommended teas are Chillout tea

 Chill out tea can be a great green tea, its a nice simple mixture of green tea, cucumber, mint, and is crisp and refreshing and helps at working in collagen-boosting antioxidants.

So Go On there are so many good things about enjoying a nice cup of tea,

Go On be nice to your self !

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.

1. Good for the immune system

Like other types of tea made from the camellia sinensis tea plant, black tea is extremely high in antioxidants. Cinnamon bark, cardamom, and cloves are also high in antioxidants. Chai tea is a wonderful source of antioxidants, so helping reduce free radicals in your body and promote your cellular health. 

2. Importantly at this time of year it fights off colds

When you’re feeling under the weather, a decent cup of chai can actually help to ease symptoms of the common cold, or even ward off colds . Black tea contains catechins with antiviral properties that may also contribute to the prevention of common illnesses like colds and flu. Ginger contains antimicrobial properties that can help to fight illnesses like sore throat. Cinnamon contains unique antibacterial properties that can sometimes to protect against infection and keep you healthy. Also cardamom and cloves also contain antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, so making a cup of chai tea is a great choice if you want to stay well this winter , Go On Go 

3. Boosts your heart health

Ingredients in chai tea have amazingly been shown to help boost heart health. Basically black tea contains flavonoids, these can help prevent plaque buildup in the body’s arteries, which reduces stress on the heart. Cinnamon is also been shown to help to treat cardiovascular diseases and reduce harmful cholesterol.

5. Improves your digestion

Drinking chai tea can also help to improve digestion. Ginger is also a powerful digestive aid, and drinking ginger can help to improve gastrointestinal symptoms and so help the digestive system to work better, and of course cardamom has many digestive benefits .

6. Good for skin

Black tea is high in a variety of vitamins and minerals that are good for the skin, including zinc, magnesium, and potassium, all of which can help to protect and help rejuvenate the skin, and of course  drinking tea is also a great way to stay hydrated, which will help your skin look healthy and fresh. 

7. Increases your energy and your alertness

Black tea is an energizing tea that can help to increase alertness and focus. Black teas like chai tea contain moderate amount of caffeine to give us all a welcome boost of energy, and the caffeine in black tea helps to encourage our focus and alertness.

8. Reduces inflammation in the body

Chai contains plenty of ingredients that can help with inflammation, including black tea, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom. Black tea can help  reduce inflammation in your body, which can help soothe muscle soreness and chronic pain, and  ward off inflammation-related diseases .

Cinnamon has also been shown to help reduce inflammation and soothe pain. If you’re suffering from temporary inflammation, or dealing conditions like arthritis, a cup of cinnamon tea can have great  anti-inflammatory effects.

Ginger can help with inflammation too, and has been used for many centuries in herbal medicine for its powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Cardamom also contains anti-inflammatory properties.

These ingredients all make chai tea a great choice if you’ want to reduce inflammation in your body.

9. Good for skin

Black tea is high in a variety of vitamins and minerals that are good for the skin, including zinc, magnesium, and potassium, all of which can help to protect and help rejuvenate the skin, and of course drinking tea is also a great way to stay hydrated, which will help your skin look healthy and fresh. 

10. Good for the old teeth

Many caffeinated beverages, contain  heaps of sugar, tea of course does not and has been shown to be good for oral health. Black tea contains compounds that attack harmful bacteria within your mouth, which can help prevent the buildup of plaque. Ginger and cardamom also contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties that help to kill off harmful oral pathogens. This can help to improve your the health of your teeth .

Can Mrs Doyle's green tea can help you lose weight? yes it can !  this seems to be due to the presence of lots of antioxidants and nutrients that can provide lots of health benefits.

Many studies have shown that green tea can increase fat burning. Green tea has a high concentration of vitamins and minerals, as well as it's low calorie content, which can increase  your metabolism so improving your body's ability to burn energy.  

The large range of antioxidants , called catechins can help burn fat and boost metabolism .As Green tea is full of  antioxidants which help combat cell damaging free-radicals so  boosting your immunity system. Green tea also contains an  ingredient known as theanine, which is  a type of amino acid , which can help reducing stress and again  this can help in losing weight.

Black tea is a great way to complement  weight loss,sure  It will soon be Christmas and well that little black dress will need to fit for all those Christmas parties and a decent cup of black tea might just be the answer. 

Black tea because it's a fully fermented tea it has the ability to flush out fats found in food & to improve the ability of the human body to negate fatty acids synthesis. Black tea is also thought to be of assistance at lowering bad LDI cholesterol. So next time your having a cuppa  leave out the milk and remember it's all good and perhaps a few packs as a early Christmas gift for your self or a friend might just do the trick