Your Favorite After Dinner Drink Can Also Be Turned Into A Sweet Treat
Rooibos tea has been a top choice for an after dinner drink. It’s naturally sweet and smooth, making it the perfect drink to pair with dessert. What you may not have known is that this tea can also be used as an ingredient to make some very tasty desserts.
If you’re always looking for more inspiration on new ways to enjoy your favorite teas then you are in luck. Today we are going to introduce you to 3 different dessert recipes using rooibos tea.
- Rooibos Tea Loaf Cake
- Eggless Rooibos Tea Cookies
- Rooibos Tea Cheesecake
Get your apron ready, because you’re going to want to try all 3 of these scrumptious treats.
Rooibos Tea Loaf Cake
Rooibos tea loaf cake is so easy to make and also incredibly low in sugar and fat. You won’t feel guilty going for a second piece of this fruity cake.
What You Need:
- 270 ml or 1 ⅛ cup of rooibos tea (made from either 4 bags, or four scoops of a loose leaf blend)
- 1 ⅓ cup of dried cranberries
- ⅔ cup of raisins
- 2 cups of flour
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- Zest from 1 orange
- Pinch of salt
- 60 ml vegetable oil (plus a bit more to grease the pan)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup of brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Make your tea ahead of time and allow it to steep for roughly 5 minutes. Once it’s ready and cooled down mix it with the dried cranberries and raisins. Cover it up and let the dried fruit soak for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once that mixture is ready, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and grease the pan. (This recipe calls for a 9 inch loaf pan to be precise!)
- Grab a large bowl and mix together your flour, baking powder, orange zest and salt.
- In a separate bowl mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and oil. Beat this mixture until it is nice and fluffy, this could take approximately 2 minutes.
- Pour all of the fruit and tea mixture into the bowl of sugary fluff and stir. Add the dry ingredients into this mixture and stir until the flour is no longer visible.
- Pour all of the batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth out the top. It’s now ready to go into the oven and will need to be baked for 1 hour.
- Once the loaf cake is finished in the oven, take it out and set it aside for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes are up you can lift the cake from the pan to allow it to cool completely.
This cake can be stored for up to 3 days, so enjoy it while it’s fresh. Remember not to over stir your batter, it’s normal for it to be thick. Also, if you don’t like cranberries or raisins you can substitute them with any type of dried fruits you want.
Eggless Rooibos Tea Cookies
If you enjoy shortbread cookies then you will love rooibos tea cookies. They are the perfect snack to have at tea time.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar (Plus one extra tbsp)
- 2 tbsp of rooibos loose leaf blend
- 1 ¼ cup of flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsps milk
- ½ cup butter
- 1 ½ tbsp turbinado sugar (or natural brown sugar)
Instructions:
- Heat a small pan over medium heat. Once it’s heated, add the rooibos leaves and shake to distribute them in an even layer. Toast the leaves until they are fragrant but not darkened. This should take approximately 2 minutes, but depending on the type of leaves you have this may not take as long.
- Once the leaves are toasted, put them aside in a bowl to cool.
- When the rooibos leaves have been cooled place them in a food processor along with the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, flour, and salt. Pulse until they are well mixed.
- Add butter, milk, and vanilla to the processor and pulse until it forms a dough.
- Lightly flour your surface so you can roll the dough out on it. Roll the dough into a log that is approximately 1 ½ inches in diameter.
- Sprinkle turbinado sugar onto a plate and roll the dough log on it, making sure you cover the entire surface of the log.
- Wrap up the dough log and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- When the time comes to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 375 F and line your baking pan with parchment paper.
- Cut your douch into ⅓ inch slices and place on the pan with ½ an inch between them to breathe.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies start to brown.
- Allow your cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes and store in an airtight container.
These cookies will stay good for several days as long as they are stored properly. We shared the classic version of this rooibos tea cookie with you but you can customize the recipe by adding vanilla bean, chocolate chips, or whatever your heart desires.
Rooibos Tea Cheesecake
When it comes to cheesecake the internet is filled with different ways to make this beloved dessert. With all the different ways to enjoy cheesecake we had to find a recipe where we could incorporate rooibos. Rooibos is one of the smoothest types of tea, so it’s no surprise that it goes well with the velvety texture of cheesecake.
Ingredients:
- 1 200 gram package of either graham crackers or tea biscuits, finely crushed
- 200 grams (⅞ cup) of melted butter
- 150 ml of milk
- 5 bags or 5 scoops of rooibos tea blend
- 5 tubs or blocks of plain cream cheese
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup of castor sugar
- 2 pods of vanilla (seeds removed)
Instructions:
- Mix the melted butter and finely crushed cookie crumbs to form the base for your cheesecake. Pack tightly into the pan and allow to cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (356 F).
- In a small pan infuse the rooibos tea in the milk for 5 minutes at a moderate temperature. Once infused remove the tea leaves and allow the infused milk to cool.
- Mix the eggs and sugar together with a handheld or stand-up mixer for 3 minutes on high speed. Add the vanilla and infused milk, continue mixing until it is well blended.
- Add the cream cheese, one at a time, and mix on medium speed. Keep mixing until you have a thick and smooth mixture.
- Scoop the mixture into the crust and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool completely.
When your cake is ready it should have a good wobble to it. Don’t cut it open too early, this cake tastes best when it’s cold.
All of these recipes sound delicious. Now you have an excuse to add more rooibos to your cart next time you’re tea shopping. What recipe do you want to try the most? Let us know in the comments.