green tea is so delicious

The health benefits that are associated with green tea have been widely publicized in the recent past. Starting off as an integral part of ancient Chinese medicine, it has recently been suggested by evidence in studies to do a myriad of health-improving things. There are antioxidants contained in green tea to help rid the body of free radicals, it is suggested to help speed the metabolism, to lower cholesterol (especially Low Density Lipoproteins), to prevent cancer, and to help the immune system. As for me, I think it is just yummy.

Chai green tea is my favorite kind of hot tea. The first time I had it I loved it and from then on was searching for a place where I could easily buy it. After searching in every grocery store that I came across for about 3 months, I finally found it. I bought a ton of it from that store, soon to find out that the chai green tea phase had also reached many other stores. Chai is traditionally a combination of cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, and ginger. It is usually paired with a stronger tea such as black or oolong, but the recent surge of the green tea craze has changed this a bit.

And then one day I got an idea, Chai Green Tea Cake:
1 package vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
3 chai green tea sachets

Heat these ingredients over medium heat in the stove. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.

1 C flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2- 2 C pudding mixture
1 t cinnamon
1/4 C blackberry jam
3 eggs, separated
more blackberry jam

Combine the first 4 ingredients. Mix in the egg yolks one at a time. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until very foamy. Add a third of the egg yolks and mix. Add the remaining 2/3 and gently fold. Divide the batter into two 8-inch round, greased cake pans. Bake at 350 F for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. A couple of minutes before taking the cakes out, spread a thin layer of jam over one of the cakes.

3 T butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 C powdered sugar
about 2 T milk
1 t cinnamon
Thoroughly combine all ingredients and set aside.

After the cakes come out of the oven, let them cool completely. It may be a good idea to put them in the freezer for a couple of minutes before assembly. Put the cake with the jam on top on the bottom. Spread a little bit of the icing on top. Put the second cake on top and glaze with the remaining icing.

Chopped walnuts are a nice complement. They can be pressed on the sides for a simple addition. Also a berry such as a strawberry or raspberry is good to put on top.

The consistency of the cake very much resembles that of pudding. It is fairly dense and very moist. The flavors in the cake are very unique and match well with the freshness of the berries. Also, I definitely preferred it after is sat in the refrigerator for a little while. MMM antioxidants