The Recipe For A Merry Christmas

Christmas means celebration and celebration means a table full of delectable drinks and delicious food to relish with friends and family! When it comes to Christmas, seasonal tea and gingerbread cake are the perfect pair for a wholesome celebration! Here are two specially curated Christmas recipes by Tea Culture Of The World to make your Christmas merrier.

Recipe 1 - Spiced Winter Mulled Wine

Spiced winter tea is Christmas cheer in a cup! Rooibos tea, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel- these flavours are pretty much everything you need to make a gorgeous mulled wine.

Ingredients

1. 50 gms vanilla rooibos
2. 750 ml (1 pint 6 fl oz) good quality red wine
3. 250 ml (8 ½ fl oz) water
4. 4 tbsp sugar
5. ½ orange, sliced ginger biscuits, to serve (optional)

Preparation

1. Simply throw all of the ingredients into one big pan. Bring it just below the boiling point, stirring occasionally.
2. Then, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Serve warm, not too hot, as a delicious, warming drink on a cold day!

Recipe 2 - Spiced Gingerbread Cake

Needless to say, gingerbread is a traditional holiday favourite. Sweet lovers, this one's for you!

Ingredients

1. Tea Culture Of The World's Apple Cinnamon or Spicy Mandarin - ¼ C (120 g)
2. Unsalted butter - 8 tbsp (120 g)
3. Firmly packed dark brown sugar, dark molasses, and corn syrup - ½ C each (120 g each)
4. All-purpose flour - 2 ½ C (65 g)
5. Ground ginger and ground cinnamon - 1 ½ tsp each (3 g each)
6. Ground cloves and ground nutmeg - ½ tsp (3 g each)
7. Salt - ¼ tsp (1 g)
8. Large eggs - 2
9. Grated zest of lemon - 1
10. Lemon juice - 1 tbsp (15 ml)
11. Baking soda - 2 tsp (10 g)
12. Confectioners’ sugar - 4 c (500 g)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 10 x 3 ½ inch (25 x 9 cm) bundt pan.
2. Bring 1 ½ cups (350 ml) of water to a boil, remove from the heat, add the tea, and steep for 5 minutes; strain to extract as much liquid as possible.
3. Melt the butter; stir it with the brown sugar, molasses, and corn syrup until blended. Set aside to cool.
4. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in the bowl in a food processor and pulse to blend. Scrape in the butter-sugar mixture and blend. Add the eggs and lemon zest and process until smooth.
5. Stir the baking soda in a cup (240 ml) of the tea. It will bubble up. Stir the mixture into the batter, mixing well; then scrape it into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is springy and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the pan and cool on a cake rack.
6. Combine the remaining tea with lemon juice. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar, whisking until you have a thick but spreadable icing. Pour over the cooled cake and let it set.

To try these festive special recipes, we bring you handpicked rooibos tea loose leaf! Indulge in a fun culinary session, and give your guests the true taste of Christmas! Browse through the best herbal tea flavours and buy green tea leaves or the best black tea online.