If you bake a lot of cakes, you’ll notice that I change things around in the formula of this recipe, especially when the butter and salt go into the batter preparation. I did this to get a better texture and prevent certain things from happening (see my Kitchen Notes below). This recipe is the perfect example of the caramelization reaction in sugars. When heated, sugars undergo various changes and produce a new set of aroma, taste, and pigment molecules. I use baking soda to manipulate and hasten the caramelization reaction in the honey. Later, when baking the cake, reduce the temperature to reduce the browning of the sugar. Some of the cake’s browning also comes from another chemical reaction called the Maillard reaction, which occurs between amino acids and sugars; this reaction produces a completely different set of flavor and pigment molecules that also appear brown in color. 1 1/2 cups/170 g cake flour 1 1/4 tsp baking powder 3 to 4 Tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves (or use a fragrant dark black tea) 3/4 cup/180 ml runny honey 1/8 tsp baking soda 3 large eggs 1/2 cup/120 ml full-fat or 5% plain unsweetened Greek yogurt 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional) 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
