Sweets to Accompany Tea: From Cakes to Pastries, the Best Pairings

Tea is often thought of as a drink to be drunk alone, in the morning instead of coffee or during the day, to accompany a moment of relaxation and tranquility: in fact, tea lends itself very well to being paired with a wide variety of sweet recipes. Indeed, in many countries tea is not just a simple beverage, but at the center of a real meal of the day, a ritual to be taken care of down to the smallest detail. From the wagashi of the Japanese tea ceremony, to English afternoon tea, let’s discover all the pairings between sweets and tea, for the perfect tea party!

Sweets to Take with Tea: A Long-Lived Tradition

The tradition of afternoon tea accompanied by sweets is well rooted in European culture, influenced by the English tea ritual, afternoon tea or five o’clock tea, a real meal in the day, where afternoon tea is accompanied by delicious dishes, especially sweets. While in the Eastern tradition the pairing of tea with sweets is not as well established and tea is often drunk to accompany main meals in what is known as the tea ceremony, in the West the tradition of afternoon tea has spread far beyond England, making the pairing of afternoon tea with cakes, cookies, and sweets of all kinds canonical, becoming a widespread breakfast or snack.

Apparently, the history of this ritual is at least two centuries old: the Duchess Anne of Bedford, a great friend of Queen Victoria, is said to have instituted tea time, in 1840. According to the accounts, the duchess used to be so hungry in the afternoon that she could not wait until dinner time.In the 18th century, in fact, it was customary to serve dinner, that is, the main meal, very late in the day, between 7 and 8:30 in the evening.

In the middle of the day, between breakfast and dinner, it was customary to eat a light meal, called a luncheon, which was meant to appease hunger until the evening, but often left one feeling hungry and weak. The duchess thus decided to accompany her afternoon tea, only a Darjeeling, with a light meal; cakes, sweets, sandiwiches stuffed with creams and fruits, slices of bread warmed over the fire with jam and honey were usual on her table.

According to history, Duchess Anne is said to have invented afternoon tea during a visit to the Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle, but having found this small mid-afternoon meal perfect for soothing hunger and a sense of weakness, she would repeat it, often inviting her friends to accompany her. Soon afternoon tea became an established convivial meal in many upper-middle class homes, transforming from a very feminine ritual to a true tradition, now a mainstay of English culture and beyond.

Sweets and Cakes to Eat with Tea

But what are the best tea cakes and cookies? The pairing of sweets and this beverage is now a tea-time classic: who doesn’t pair at least a couple of cookies or a slice of plumcake with their afternoon tea? In England, the tradition of afternoon tea is still well established, and a must in tea rooms, cafes, and hotels, where the best rare and fine teas are paired with traditional but also sophisticated sweets. There are many recipes for cakes to take with tea, from simple shortbread cookies, butter cookies, to the cakes themselves made with tea, such as matcha tea plumcakes or Earl Grey or green tea cakes. You can rely on the classic English tradition and pair your tea with typical scones with jam and clotted cream, or excellent butterscotch shortbreads, but tea also goes very well with cakes and pastries with creams: just think of the tea-time classic, the battenberg cake, decorated with marzipan, cupcakes and muffins in a variety of flavors, or cream puffs. Also ideal for sweetening tea time are classic sweets with delicate flavors such as cat’s tongues, meringues, vanilla cookies, madeleines and sweetbread.

The combinations with the most diverse products from the world of pastry are endless, including tarts and cookies, mousses and pastries, you’ll be spoiled for choice. But how to choose the right tea for one’s dessert? And what are the best pairings between desserts and tea? The aromatic notes of teas are indeed different, and just like a wine paired with dishes, it is important to know how to choose the right tea for your dessert so as to enhance its flavor and aromas.

Whichever type you choose, you must remember that when hosting an afternoon tea, teas are to be served with milk and sugar on the side to your guests. In fact, the sweetness and full-bodiedness of desserts, cakes and pastries would require a tea served plain, just to counteract the cloying notes and balance them properly.

How to choose pairings between sweets and tea?

What are the best pairings between tea and sweets? We have chosen some macrocategories of teas, varieties in which many different types of tea stand out, matching them with desserts, cakes and cookies with aromatic notes, flavors and scents that best match those of the teas, for unique pairings that will make the tasting special, enhancing both the flavor of the drink and that of the dessert. Different sweets for different teas, then, based on the characteristics of each type: let’s discover them together!

Green Teas

Green teas are unoxidized teas, characterized by an herbaceous flavor, notes reminiscent of roses and apples, but also some leafy vegetables. They are teas with a fresh, slightly bitter aroma and produce an infusion with green and golden tones. We recommend pairing the floral and herbaceous notes of green tea with desserts made from ingredients with similarly sharp notes, spices such as ginger and saffron, sweets enhanced by liqueurs such as rum, and pungent fruits that match strong flavors: apples, pineapples, and apricots. Chinese green teas have a delicate aroma, and are very suitable for drinking simply accompanied by cookies and dry pastries, coconut truffles, and nut cake, while Japanese green teas, such as matcha, which can also be drunk in the form of matcha latte, can accompany even fuller-bodied desserts: try wagashi, the typical Japanese sweets that are eaten before tasting the tea in the Japanese tea ceremony, as well as chocolate desserts such as a souffle.

White teas

White teas are very delicate and light, partially oxidized teas made from the youngest and tenderest buds and leaves of the tea plant, which are left to dry naturally in the sunlight. White tea is a very fine, minimally processed tea whose infusion has a pale color. Generally, this tea should be drunk on its own, but if you want to accompany it with a dessert, the advice is to pair it with sweets that do not cover up its delicate notes, since when served with foods that are too rich and heavy, white teas tend to seem tasteless and fail to reveal their natural sweetness: desserts and cakes made with cheeses such as ricotta, mascarpone or yogurt, low in sugar and with light flavors, such as lemon. White tea is also perfect for accompanying fruit desserts, whose delicate notes would be destroyed by a black tea: prefer white tea for strawberry and lemon cakes, as well as mousses and parfaits and citrus desserts.

Oolong teas

Oolong teas are semi-fermented teas, somewhere between a green tea and a black tea, and for this reason neither too strong nor too light: they have very distinctive aromas, which vary according to type and degree of oxidation, but generally tend to be very complex and slightly smoky. Suitable for pairing with desserts with similarly complex and rich flavors, spiced and homemade cakes, such as pies and apple strudel enriched by the fruity flavor of brown sugar and the spicy aroma of cinnamon. There are many oolong teas that are flavored with citrus notes, such as orange and bergamot, so we instead suggest pairing a pure oolong tea with a rich dessert, such as a citrus tart or tarte tatin, or with honey-based desserts, such as cookies, muffins, and why not, struffoli! Oolong teas, being semi-oxidized teas, also go well with chocolate desserts, such as eclairs, chocolate macaroons, brownies, and sacher cake, and fragrant, buttery desserts, such as those made with puff pastry. If you love drinking oolong for breakfast, try pairing it with pancakes with maple syrup, or just your usual croissant!

Black Teas

Black tea is a highly oxidized tea, native to India and Sri Lanka and to date the most widely grown tea in the world. Its infusion has a dark, reddish color (black tea is called red tea in China), an intense, astringent flavor, and important organoleptic characteristics. Because of their robust flavor, black teas are generally suitable for accompanying hearty meals, savory breakfasts, fried foods, and even meats. For pairing with desserts, we suggest you indulge your imagination: you will not be disappointed with the black tea and chocolate pairing. If you want to enjoy tea with a white chocolate or milk chocolate cake, whether it is a tart, a cake with cream, or pastries, mousses, and eclairs, prefer a milder black tea made from the most tender leaves, such as a Golden Monkey, from Fujan. For dark chocolate desserts, on the other hand, we recommend pairing with a Pu Erh tea, a type of tea that is intense and perfect for the velvety, strong body of the bitterest chocolate.Pu Erh teas are post-fermented teas with an earthy, almost moist, musky, woody flavor, whose distinct flavor can perfectly balance richer, fatter flavors and offer important digestive properties.

Darjeeling tea

Darjeeling tea is a black tea, considered the “Champagne of Teas,” with a light and delicate yet extremely distinct taste. This was the favorite tea of Duchess Anne of Bedford, and not surprisingly the tea that best pairs with sweets. Perfect for accompanying delicate vanilla, honey, rose and bergamot scented sweets such as cookies or cookies, Viennese, scones as is customary in England, and shortbread, it can also be perfect paired with a carrot cake with mascarpone filling, macaroons, strawberry and lemon shortcakes with cream, pastries and madeleines.