Paris Tea Cakes
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tablespoons finely ground Harney & Sons Paris tea leaves*
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup crème fraîche
  • Caramel Meringue Buttercream (recipe follows)
  • Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a rimmed 15×10-inch baking sheet with baking spray with flour. Line pan with parchment paper, and spray pan again.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, tea leaves, baking powder, and salt. With mixer at low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with crème fraîche, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
  4. Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, smooth surface of batter.
  5. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Turn out cake onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a 2½-inch round cutter, cut 24 rounds from cake, discarding scraps.
  7. Place Caramel Meringue Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a closed-star tip (Wilton #35). Pipe rosettes on 12 cake rounds. Top each with a remaining plain cake round. Pipe another rosette on top.
Notes
Harney & Sons' Paris Tea is a black tea flavored with blackcurrant and vanilla. We used a mortar and pestle to grind tea leaves.
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/paris-tea-cakes/