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WHY TEA AND CAKE WILL IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY AND HELP YOU LIVE LONGER

January 15, 2015 16 Comments

cake-lighter

No doubt you’re dieting, detoxing or drying out – it is, after all, the month of penitence, atonement  and resolutions (read ours here and here).  But it’s dark n’ cold out there and my body’s begging for sugar and carbs.  To top it all, my eldest daughter is mid-exams and comes home starving and exhausted. And no, she doesn’t want a salad.  She wants cake.  And, frankly, so do I. So to accommodate dieters and detoxers, this week’s recipe is a fat-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, 100% healthy, utterly delicious spiced fruit cake. I’ve been baking it once a week for the last decade, all the children wolf it down – and it takes three minutes to prepare.  Ta-dah!

To add to its arsenal of healthiness, the cake’s fruit is soaked overnight (yes, you do have to think ahead with this recipe) in age-busting green tea.  And I strongly recommend drinking green tea  when you tuck into a slice of cake.  Why?  Because if (like me) your memory is becoming increasingly thread-bare, green tea may just be your saviour.  In fact, if you want to live a long and healthy life, make yourself a cup of green tea and read on ….

I’ve been a slow convert to green tea – mainly because I didn’t particularly like the taste of it.  But after talking to a tea expert, it appears I’ve been brewing it all wrong and drinking the wrong sort (the stuff in bags, often mixed with ‘flavour’ – you know the ones).  My friendly tea importer showed me how to brew the perfect cuppa. Firstly, use the best quality loose leaf green tea you can afford (I like the Rare Tea Company but before you balk at the cost, take a leaf out of Susan’s teapot – she uses a single spoonful of leaves and tops it up with hot water all day which is what the thrifty Chinese do).  Secondly, don’t use boiling water.  Thirdly, never let the tea stew.  Read more here http://www.rareteacompany.com/recipes/how-to-make-the-perfect-cup-of-tea/

I know all this sounds a palaver but a cup of green tea brewed properly is a revelation (if you don’t have time for revelations, Clearspring’s Japanese Green Tea bags are pretty good too).  Even more revelatory are the extraordinary health properties of this humble beverage.  The last year has seen a flurry of reports suggesting green tea could lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and strokes. An earlier Japanese study followed 40,000 40-79 year olds for 11 years and found that green tea- drinkers had a substantially lower risk of death from all causes (yes – all!). Read more here http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275206.php

But what’s got me really excited is recent research associating green tea with a 54% reduction in the risk of cognitive decline.  Not only that… scientists now think that green tea may also be able to reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s and dementia. How miraculous is that?  Very simply, it works like this: Alzheimer’s is caused by a build-up of toxic protein fragments called amyloid-beta which deprive brain cells of oxygen, eventually killing them. The result is memory and speech loss, failing motor skills and, finally, death.  Green tea contains a compound called EGCG which stops amyloid plaque building up, breaks down existing amyloid plaque and triggers production of new neurons in the brain section responsible for working memory.  Life Extension magazine ran a lead article on the science a few months ago.  Read it here:  http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2014/8/How-Green-Tea-Protects-Against-Alzheimers-Disease/Page-01

According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, one in three British 65 year-olds will die with some form of dementia, at a cost to our economy of £23.6 billion a year.  I’m doing my bit by switching to green tea (and if you’re wondering how much tea to drink, the answer is at least two cups a day).  And while you’re sipping your green tea and scoffing your cake, you might want to read this year’s Costa prize-winning novel, Elizabeth is Missing.  It’s about a woman with dementia struggling to remember.  It’ll have you downing green tea by the gallon – trust me!

 SPICED FRUIT LOAF WITH GREEN TEA

  • 500g dried fruit (whatever you have left over from Christmas – raisins, dates, apricots, prunes, cranberries, currants etc. I snip larger fruits into raisin-sized chunks.)
  • 1.5 mugs of green tea (or regular black tea if you must)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 250g wholemeal self-raising flour (use gluten-free if you need to)
  • 1 egg

Soak the fruit in the tea with the spice, overnight.

The next morning turn the oven to 170c, grease a loaf tin, stir the egg and flour into the fruit-tea mixture and put the tin into the oven for 1.5 hours, covering with foil after 30 minutes to stop it browning too much on the top.

Leave to cool, then slice and serve.  We like it thinly spread with butter or coconut oil – but we’re gluttons!  Now go make yourself a cup of green tea…before you forget!

Annabel

  • Meal Types: Family, On The Go, Treats and Snacks
  • Conditions: Ageing, Brain and Dementia, Cancer, Diabetes, Heart, Heart disease, Strokes
  • Ingredients: Dried fruit
« BOOSTING IMMUNITY FOR 2015, SOUP AND A SALAD
WILL CARBOHYDRATES KILL ME? WHOLEGRAINS AND MILLET PANCAKES »

Comments

  1. Susan Saunders says

    January 15, 2015 at 3:21 pm

    This cake is completely delicious, and I had no idea how simple it is. I want a piece now!

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      January 16, 2015 at 6:20 pm

      And each slice contains enough dried fruit to count as one of your five/seven a day … phew!

      Reply
  2. Louise Jablonowska says

    January 17, 2015 at 6:53 pm

    Just soaking the fruit now – great way to use up dates from Dubai. Looking forward to trying tomorrow! Recommend Mariage Freres for great green tea too.

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      January 18, 2015 at 1:59 pm

      Haven’t tried Mariage Freres – will look out for it. Lalani is supposed to be good too. Hope the cake works out. If your oven is hot, you may only need one hour and 15 mins. I usually use 50% raisins and 50% whatever needs eating! Let me know what you think … And thanks for leaving a comment!

      Reply
      • Louise Jablonowska says

        January 23, 2015 at 10:26 am

        The cake lasted 5 days with restraint and was perfect with green tea- more inspiration please!!! Well def. make again!

        Reply
        • annabel abbs says

          January 24, 2015 at 10:28 am

          So glad! Try it with different fruit combos too. i am partial to apricots. Will be posting my favorite carrot cake soon (which i am eating rather too much of at the moment!). But it’s full of carrots – so that’s ok!

          Reply
  3. Nan Eckardt says

    February 26, 2015 at 12:07 am

    It is in the oven now. I admit, I couldn’t wait to soak the fruit overnight, so 30 min had to suffice (I am doing a low-cal day tomorrow = no cake; it is snowing and I want cake NOW). I also admit, I used tea made from some rather expensive green tea powder, which has been sitting in the cupboard for months because the tea I make with it makes me gag. And the green tea I had in Japan (even from tea bags!) was so lovely. I suppose I must learn how to make it properly. It tasted yummy in the batter (of course I licked the bowl).

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      February 26, 2015 at 10:27 pm

      Thanks so much for your comment, Nan! I’ve always done the overnight-soaking bit as it makes the fruit super plump and juicy so I’m intrigued to see how your cake turned out? But using the green tea powder was a brainwave. I hope it tasted better in the cake than as tea!!
      Annabel

      Reply
  4. SBOBET says

    March 13, 2015 at 2:55 am

    I like to eat everything green tea mix, because it makes me feel relaxed.
    green tea and a smoothie- wow i love this!

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      March 13, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      Thanks so much – we really appreciate you stopping by!

      Reply
  5. Susie says

    May 3, 2016 at 10:10 am

    We all love this. We have a couple of gluten intolerants in the family so for the flour part I use a mixture of Dove’s gluten free self raising flour and buckwheat ( for that characteristic malty flavour).
    Northerners this is lovely with a piece of Stilton, Wensleydale or any other favourite hard cheese.

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      May 17, 2016 at 9:52 am

      That sounds delicious. I shall try making it with some buckwheat flour. And I love the idea of cheese with it! yum yum … Thanks for your inspiring comment.

      Reply
  6. Christina Gill says

    August 31, 2021 at 10:35 am

    Hi sorry to ask I want to make a siced fruit loaf with green tea. Can you tell me what size loaf tin is needed to make it
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      September 3, 2021 at 10:52 am

      Hi Christina

      I usually use a 20cm loaf tin, but it’s a very forgiving cake, so anything around that size should be fine!
      Annabel

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. WHY CARING FOR OTHERS (AND RED CABBAGE) COULD PROLONG YOUR LIFE - Kale & Cocoa says:
    May 22, 2015 at 8:10 am

    […] I make a large bowl of this every week – my eldest daughter’s home on study-leave and it’s her favourite vegetable dish (which is saying something as she’s not a keen vegetable-eater at the best of times!).  I leave it in the fridge and she tucks in every lunch time before wolfing down a few chocolate brainies and a slice of green tea cake. […]

    Reply
  2. AGEING WELL: 12 LESSONS FROM 2015 - AND VEGETABLE TARTLETS FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER - Kale & Cocoa says:
    December 18, 2015 at 10:03 am

    […] drinking more green tea to improve our memories: it’s been linked to a 54% reduction in the risk of cognitive […]

    Reply

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