milk tea and honey pound cake

i have a sweet tooth, but when it comes to milk tea (and the boba bars), is it just me or is it usually way too sweet?  i would choose ice tea, booch, and coffee over milk tea any day (25% sweet and 25% ice 4ever), but this loaf hits the spot when i'm craving something sweet and rich!

you're probably wondering how much this loaf actually tastes like milk tea. and i can guarantee you, it tastes 5x as much as you're expecting. if i was blind folded during a taste test with this loaf, i would guess the flavor in less than 2 seconds, tops. you really need to try this and see for yourself!! slice of this, warm and straight out of the oven, is right up my alley...

it is currently overcast with a 40% chance of rain, and i have perfectly situated myself on the couch with a blanket, a mug with wine (i don't have any wine glasses), and a yeti insulated mug with hot tea. i'm not going to lie -- i was just watching tiger king and felt like i should do something more productive...which is this post and it is very likely that i'll go back to it to finish the last episode later. heh.

if you're like me, and have had my face staring passively at a screen, take a break, and try this recipe inspired by lady and pups that i stumbled upon. truly cannot wait for you guys to try, especially you, you milk tea lovers out there.

ingredients:

4 tbsp black tea leaves (i really enjoyed using black tea because the flavor comes out stronger, but you can technically use any tea for your milk tea base flavor as you'd like)
1 cup whole milk
1.5 cups (3 sticks) of unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey (you can substitute for maple syrup if you don't have honey, but keep in mind that it will have a different flavor profile/less milk tea taste)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

instructions:

1. place tea leaves and milk in a blender, and blend until leaves are very fine and coarse.
2. place in a small pot and simmer. turn heat off and let it cool down until it reaches room temperature, or colder (if you're in a time crunch, place in the fridge to cool faster!)
3. in a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. add eggs and beat, keeping the mixture fluffy and whipped.
5. add honey and vanilla extract.
6. for the dry ingredients: whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl.
7. beat in dry ingredients and the milk tea mixture into the wet butter/sugar mixture, slowly.
   ** to help incorporate the total batter, alternating mixing in dry and milk tea mixture: starting and ending with the dry**
8. butter + dust loaf pan with flour, or line with parchment if desired.
9. pour in batter and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes (check doneness with the toothpick method, adjust time as needed).

cutting into it after its cooled slightly, you need to take a bite real quick because that is just the glory bite right there. if it's cooled down too much once they're all sliced, pop it in the microwave for a good 5-7 seconds and it'll be the next best thing. 

this tastes soooo much like milk tea that you will wonder how it's even possible that it can be in a loaf form. the hardest part is trying to 1) resist tasting the simmering milk tea mixture and 2) sneaking a piece of the loaf before it's fully cooled. 

just remember that it's worth the wait -- i believe in you!! enjoy, friends!!