Oolong-Chocolate Cakes
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2⁄3 cup whole milk
  • 2⁄3 cup strongly steeped oolong tea*
  • 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Honey-Oolong Buttercream (recipe follows)
  • Garnish: cocoa powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 14 1⁄2x9 1⁄2-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray sides of pan with baking spray with flour.
  2. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl. In the sieve, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; sift into bowl.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, tea, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, folding until fully combined. Pour batter onto prepared baking sheet, smoothing with an offset spatula, if needed, to level.
  4. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in baking sheet. Freeze cake until firm, approximately 1 hour but up to overnight.
  5. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray parchment with cooking spray. Invert frozen cake onto prepared baking sheet. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut 24 circles from cake. Invert cut cakes, flat side up.
  6. Transfer Honey-Oolong Buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #824). Pipe a buttercream rosette onto each cake round. Carefully stack in pairs to make 12 (2-layer) cakes. Let cakes thaw, and serve immediately, or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a day before serving.
  7. Just before serving, garnish with cocoa powder, if desired.
Notes
*We used Evergreen Oolong from Mark T. Wendell Tea Company, available
at marktwendell.com or 978-635-9200. If this oolong is not available, any lightly oxidized semi-balled oolong with floral notes can be substituted. Steep 2 teaspoons tea leaves in 3⁄4 cup 190° water for 3 minutes; remove infused tea leaves and reserve 2⁄3 cup steeped tea.
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/oolong-chocolate-cakes/