My favourite black tea infused into a delicious divine chocolate cake is a perfect afternoon treat (or even better breakfast!). Plum + Roses is a beautiful delicate blend that combines luscious stone fruits such as plums, peaches and cherries – all three known for great skin benefits and boosting the metabolism. The black tea base makes this the perfect antioxidant tea, and the addition of roses and cacao nibs are mood lifters. Which is why, adding a good cup of brewed tea into this vegan chocolate cake is exactly what the soul needs on any good or bad day alike. I’ve also shared a vegan cashew cream frosting, which is optional. A dusting of sugar is just as good. If you’d like a more decadent version, add a few spoons of cocoa powder into the frosting for a double chocolate version! Just imagining the combination of this gorgeous tea and chocolate cake should have your mouth watering! Buy Plum + Roses: here The Recipe Serves Ingredients 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 cup strongly brewed + strained cold Plum + Roses Brew 1/2 cup castor sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp vinegar 1 ½ cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 tsp baking soda (soda bicarbonate) ½ tsp salt Cashew Frosting: ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes and rinsed 1-2 tbsp water 3 tablespoons icing sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon sea salt Instructions Preheat the oven to 180C Prepare an 8” cake tin by greasing and lining with parchment paper In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt) together and set aside In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil and brew until emulsified and white in colour Then add the vanilla extract and vinegar whisk again Add the dry ingredients, combining to mix, without over-mixing Pour the batter into the cake tin Pat the cake tin on the surface a few times, to remove any air bubbles Bake the cake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean, with just a few crumbs Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting Frosting: Soak the cashews in water for 30 minutes and then drain Place them in a blender with 1 tbsp water first and pulse to make a butter Then add the remaining ingredients and if needed, more water to reach your desired consistency Place the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use Once the cake has cooled completely, spread the frosting over the cake with a spatula Garnish with sprinkles, edible flowers and rose petals

Plum + Roses Brew is great as a tea – however, what’s the point in any ingredient if it can’t be baked into glory? This was exactly my idea when I worked on this blend with Tea Trunk. The black tea base makes it easy to brew in milk, and the delicate notes of roses, plums, peaches and cherries make it a delight to swirl into cake. I brew the tea in milk for this cake and leave the tea leaves within – they are all perfectly edible and only help enhance the flavours. Alternately, if you have brewed this tea and have leftover, you can also simply reheat with a touch of milk and let cool down before swirling into the cake. This cake is a delicate kind that is to be had at tea time or for an indulgent breakfast. Slices of this is a perfect addition to your three-tier stand, and may I say, super easy on the eyes! Buy your tin of Plum + Roses Brew: here PHOTO CREDITS: The Kitchen Trail The Recipe Serves 6 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter, soft 1/2 cup castor sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla essence 1 cup milk 2 tbsp Plum + Roses Brew Icing: 3/4 cup icing sugar 2-4 tbsp milk pink food colouring Instructions Warm the milk and add the tea and let it brew for at least an hour, if not overnight Preheat the oven to 200C and grease and flour a medium loaf tin Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside Cream the butter and sugar first until light and fluffy Add the eggs, vanilla and milk with the tea leaves into the batter and whisk for another few minutes Then gently combine the dry ingredients and remove any lumps Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 25 minutes Remove when the skewer comes out clean and let cool completely before glazin Icing: Whisk the icing sugar with milk until you achieve desired consistency Add the colouring and mix Pour the glaze over the cake

A cake is what makes my world move forward. And I have a tendency to sort of celebrate even the smaller moments, because life is after all, a true celebration. And I have a knack of craving items and moments that are far from convenient at most times which tend to drive everyone around me mad. So while it’s monsoon (with no rain here), I am nostalgic for Christmas and warm spices and in dire need for a good old fashioned Christmas plum cake. This recipe is versatile wherein you can replace the plums with peaches, apples or pears, and perhaps even blueberries (though I’ve not tried that). The warming spices such as allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon along with fresh ginger do the job perfectly against the sweet and sour plums. The plums I get by my house are rather ripe and juicy – which works wonders in this cake with it’s jam-like texture. But this also means that it has a very low shelf life of 24 hours. I would not recommend going beyond that, unless you store the cake in the fridge which in my books is a complete no-no. And besides, 8 slices, 24 hours? No difficult task, I’d say it’s a piece of cake ;p  The Recipe Serves 6 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup soft butter 1/2 cup castor sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 egg 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp orange zest 1 tsp allspice 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp yoghurt 1 tbsp milk 3/4 cup diced plums Instructions Preheat the oven to 200C and grease and flour a medium loaf tin. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and extract and beat for 5 more minutes. Add the yoghurt, milk, ginger, zest and spices and whisk again. With a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients followed by the plums. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely before turning out onto a serving plate.