Sure, tea and cake go hand-in-hand. But if you’re feeling a little extravagant or looking for the perfect way to end a three course meal, enjoying a drop of wine with your dessert is pretty hard to beat.
Afternoon Tea has become a national craze over the last few years, with trendy hotels and cafes throughout the UK capitalising on our love of cake and a cuppa. But with more places introducing a Champagne option to their afternoon tea and cake menus, it got us thinking… what are the ultimate tea and wine pairings for the nation’s favourite cakes?
Check out our top drink and cake recommendations, and decide for yourself whether tea or wine sounds like your dream dessert pairing!
Chocolate Brownie – Black Tea vs Fortified Malbec
Black Tea
Black tea is undeniably the nation’s favourite type of tea. It’s a category that covers everything from Breakfast Tea and Earl Grey to Assam. Whether you take it with a splash of milk or have it dark and strong, it’s a great match for a rich chocolate cake or brownie. Black tea has a medium to full body and a tannic quality (especially if you brew it for a long time) that complements the luscious texture and bitterness of chocolate nicely. Generally speaking, the darker the chocolate, the stronger you should have your tea.
Familia Zuccardi Malamado Malbec
When it comes to wine, juicy fortified red wine is an unbeatable pairing for a rich chocolate pudding. Of course a young Ruby Port is ideal, but for something a little different we’d recommend opting for a more unusual fortified Malbec! Fortifying a wine leads to an increase in alcohol, deep jammy fruit flavours and a higher natural sweetness. And with Malbec already being very fruit-driven, the results are pretty sensational. The full body works perfectly with an indulgent chocolate brownie, as do the flavours of dark fruit, prunes and quince.
See more details of the Familia Zuccardi Malamado Malbec
White Chocolate Treats – White Tea vs Riesling Eiswein
White Tea
White tea is lighter in style and best with a slice of cake in the afternoon, rather than with a rich dessert at the end of a big meal. It works well with sweet white chocolate treats that aren’t too stodgy or heavy. White tea is gentle in flavour and far less aromatic than black tea, so shouldn’t be paired with anything too bitter and overpowering. This is why the mildness of creamy white chocolate is a much better match for this than dark chocolate. White tea also has a subtle sweetness that complements the sugar in the white chocolate.
Weingut Kochan Riesling Eiswein
Riesling Eiswein is a rich and sweet dessert wine made from grapes that have been left to freeze on the vine over winter. The process of crushing the grapes while frozen means the winemaker can quickly remove ice crystals, leaving intensely sweet grapes that have been stripped of any flavour-diluting water. Matching the sweetness and honeyed mouthfeel of Riesling Eiswein with the sugar and buttery texture of white chocolate is a match made in heaven. Especially when that Eiswein has flavours of caramel and sweet spice.
See more details of the Weingut Kochan Riesling Eiswein
Cheesecake – Chai Tea vs Moscato d’Asti
Chai Tea
Chai tea is a delicious blend of five key spices – clove, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and black peppercorns. It’s sweet and peppery with aromas of cooking spices leaping out of the teacup. These flavours marry up very well with the vanilla you find in cheesecake, while those savoury notes of black pepper complement the soft fresh cheese in the cake. This is a great dessert and drink pairing as both are sweet but with savoury ingredients.
Moscato d’Asti
Of course, Champagne is a mighty match for cake. But for cheesecake we’d recommend an Italian Moscato d’Asti. It’s a little sweeter than Champagne, with smoother, more delicate bubbles that complement the creaminess of cheesecake beautifully. Fizzy wine generally improves soft cheese too, as its high acidity cuts through the fattiness of the cheese. We’ve chosen this particular Moscato d’Asti for its subtle and refreshing citrus flavours and notes of cooking spices.
See more details of the Tenuta Olim Bauda Moscato d’Asti Centive
Carrot Cake – Rooibos Tea vs PX Sherry
Rooibos Tea
Rooibos is a smooth and full bodied style of tea made from South African Fabaceae plants. You may have also heard it referred to as redbush tea, and (as the name suggests) it’s red in colour. Rooibos is a herbal tea with a natural sweetness, a nutty taste and warm woody aromas, all of which pairs wonderfully with the flavours found in carrot cake. Whether it’s one made with walnuts or pecans, the nuttiness of the cake makes this tea match a pretty great one.
Fernando de Castilla Classic Pedro Ximenez
Perhaps the ultimate wine for desserts in general, a classic Pedro Ximenez is the sweetest Sherry around. Made from Pedro Xinemez grapes that have been dried out in the Spanish sunshine, this Sherry is different from any other because the grapes used to make it are more like raisins. Full bodied and syrupy in texture, PX Sherry is an indulgent pairing with carrot cake, bringing flavours of fig and prune that work wonderfully with the cream cheese in the frosting.
See more details of the Fernando de Castilla Classic Pedro Ximenez
Lemon Drizzle Cake – Fruit Tea vs Riesling Beerenauslese
Fruit Tea
This one’s a no-brainer. A citrus fruit tea is a lovely match for lemon drizzle cake. The delicate fruit flavours of the tea and sponge will work together nicely, not overpowering each other in any way. And the citrus aromas will take your zesty cake to the next level!
Hans Lang Hendelberg Riesling Beerenauslese
Beerenauslese is intensely sweet Riesling made from almost overripe grapes that are picked late harvest (riper grapes = sweeter juice!). These Rieslings make fantastic dessert wines, with sweet notes of ripe stone fruit balanced with a freshness that you don’t get with other sweet wines. The Beerenauslese we recommend pairing with a lemon drizzle cake is crisp and fragrant, and has its own notes of lemon and ripe apricot. Its lush, honeyed texture also complements the moistness of the sponge.
See more details of the Hans Lang Hendelberg Riesling Beerenauslese
Fancy giving any of these pairings a go at home yourself? Our friends over at Bruu Tea are a gourmet tea club offering different styles of tea from around the world, with an impressive range of black, white, chai, rooibos and fruit teas to choose from. (They even have some unusual offerings like Champagne flavoured tea – which we of course approve of!) The delicious dessert wines can all be found on our website.
