One of my every day joys, is to enjoy a cup of tea with a small treat. My tea habit started many years ago. It’s the soothing end of a busy day or even a comforting companion when I’m ill. Mainly, it’s my meditation space where I can find peace for a few moments. Doing what I do for a living, I’m lucky to always have a little something special within arms reach. What I love to pair with tea the most are little tea cakes. No icing, not very sweet, and small. Just a few bites is all I need before my tea is gone. Then, life resumes.

When I think of summer fruits, I usually envision colorful berries or something citrus. I’m so wrapped up in the seemingly short season of these fruits that I tend to forget about apples. It was a happy surprise to find them at my local farmer’s market and they were far too lovely to pass by. Lodi are an early season apple that are most commonly used to make applesauce. Juicy. Sharp. Tart. You probably won’t want to snack on these as is, but they’re nice for baking. When I saw them, I knew they had to go into a tea cake. A little sweet with a little tart mixed in.

This yogurt cake is versatile and I chose to add in chamomile with the tart apples. Chamomile and I go way back. Sick days, stressful days, or whenever. The word itself is relaxing and isn’t the summer about relaxing? At least it should be.

For the chamomile, I just cut open some tea bags that I had available in my cupboard. You can also use any variety of tart apple that will hold up during baking, like Granny Smith, in place of the Lodi.

When available, I will be posting my recipes using the measurement of grams or ounces. It’s what is used in most professional kitchens, for its consistent accurate results. I highly recommend getting your hands on a small digital scale, doesn’t have to be expensive, to add to your kitchen supplies. It’s completely worth it and will open up so many new recipes for you to try.

 

Apple Chamomile Tea Cake

Makes one 9-inch bundt pan or 10 mini bundt cakes

1 1/2 cups (200 g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chamomile, dried (I cut open 2 tea bags to use the dried leaves)
3 eggs
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) yogurt, whole-milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil, a light flavored
7 ounces (200 g) lodi apples or any tart apple variety, small dice

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or brush your bundt pan with olive oil. Lightly flour your pan as well.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and chamomile.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, yogurt, and olive oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk together just until all ingredients are blended. Do not over mix or your cake will be tough. Fold the diced apples into the batter and pour into the bundt pan, 3/4 full to protect from overflow.

Bake cake for 30 to 40 minutes or until center of cake is completely baked. To test for when it is done, insert a toothpick and it’s done when it comes out clean. Let cake cool and when it’s still a little warm turn over to unmold over a serving plate. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving for a little touch of added sweetness.

Recipe adapted from Cannelle et Vanille.