Orange Spice Cake

I’ve really overdone the eating. BINGE! So good though. The last thing I ate last night was two pieces of cake that I made…

I baked a yellow layer cake in a springform pan and let it cool. Then I made a simple syrup, and infused some Earl of Anxi tea (with the frankincense in it but use any tea you want) in the syrup. I poked holes in the top of the cake and spooned the syrup on letting it soak in. (Put cake in freezer) Later, split the cake in layers and frost with whipped cream on the layers and top. Good!

This morning, I don’t want to eat anything at all!!! No rich food, no bread, cake, pie…nothing! I’m DONE! FULL!

The choice of tea was easy. Janet (the owner of sTEAp Shoppe) and I had chatted about the tasting we had all participated in some weeks ago, and continued tea discussions back and forth. She sent a sample of her Updated Orange Spice Cake tea for me to try.

This sounded like the right tea for this morning.

I have to be honest. The initial tea’s that I tasted from sTEAp Shoppe were too bland for me. I was not expecting this tea to be leaps and bounds, over-the-top better.

But…

THIS IS REALLY GOOD TEA! It’s not bland or weak tasting at all! It’s spicy, has a cake taste and ‘drumroll’, no bitterness even when it gets cold!!! You suprised me Janet!

When I saw the bits of tangerine and orange peel I was wary. Usually this means the tea is going to be sour or bitter at some point. I’ve been so conditioned by tea companies getting it wrong that I do a little dance inside when someone gets it right.

I didn’t put any milk in my tea because of the citrus and even though I sweetened my cup(yum), it was tasty unsweetened.

If you tried the first batch of Orange Spice Cake and went…eh
try it again. This is really good.

ick. do not like. This is certainly got that bitter orange taste going on…with some spices. I wouldn’t call this cake though, nor would i call this delicious. I wonder if janet has changed her recipe around or i just managed to get more spice than tea in this cup. I’ve got more left in this sample so i’ll be trying it again but so far, colour me unimpressed.

What a yummy DesserTEA !
Sweet, creamy, cakey.
The cinnamon does not take over. The orange and other citrus come out lovely and are not bitter, the sweetness not over done, even the cocoa nibs are perfectly blended here!
I need to wake up or take a nap either way – when I am more rested will do a review for SororiTEA Sisters.

Another sample from Sil, & another sipdown. Thanks Sil!

This is ok, but not really appealing to me. I like fresh oranges, tangerines, & other citrus, but for some reason I don’t usually care for them much in tea. That’s pretty much that.

I love love LOVE orange oil so the smell of this was a winner for me, it’s very orange zesty with plenty of warm spices but the spices never overpower or eclipse the orange (a common problem with tea, I think). Smells great if you’re an orange-peel-in-baked-goods freak like me. I especially like the fenugreek; it makes it seem like a cold weather treat because of the faint maple smell. That said, I’m not getting much of a cake flavor or smell. A little as it cools and becomes sweeter smelling I guess. I like the smell more than the flavor, which, while there’s nothing wrong with it, feels more one-note straight up juicy slightly tart orange water than the aroma’s kitchen smells. Unlike with Caramel Apple, I don’t taste tea here at all.

In theory the flavor of this tea works. While I do not dislike this tea, I don’t particularly care for it either. It brewed a bit on the weak side for my liking. The taste is watered down orange with a bit of spice. This tea would be an improvement with more depth and body. I was happy to try it, but it’s not for me.

Thank you to lolainred for the introduction to a new-to-me tea company! This tea was quite lovely: a warm blend of spices well-balanced with sweet citrus and a hint of chocolate lingering in the background. It was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up today!

Sipdown!! (159)

Thank you Allie for sharing this tea with me. I usually tend to shy away from citrus teas and teas that are spiced so pulling this out of the swap package, I did not anticipate enjoying it all that much. I am happy to say that sipping on it now, it is not as unpleasant as I expected. The orange flavor is present but it is more like the fruit and less like the peel as many citrus teas tend to be. Moreover, the spice profile is different than the typical cinnamon and ginger you usually find in “spiced” teas and quite balanced with the orange. There is even a breadiness that gives it a cake-like quality. It is good and I am glad I got to try it but this is not something I am a sad to see go either.