Earl Grey Tea Cake

It's really relaxing to have a nice hot cup of tea in the morning, it makes you slow down your busy life so as not to burn your tongue. (That part takes a bit of practice.) At home we have a box set of different sorts of green, black, herbal and flavoured tea, however I had never touched the black teas. However, this sweet fruity (but not too rich) cake is an absolutely gorgeous companion to a nice hot cup of sober Earl Grey. This was the cake that made me over come my stigma against black teas.

Recipe from Jules Stranbridge’s novel Sugar and Spice, published in 2009 by Little Black Dress, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 175g light muscovado sugar
• 250ml fairly strong earl grey tea
• 250g dried bruit (sultanas, raisins, chipped apricots/prunes)
• 200g self raising flour
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1 large egg
• 50-75g walnuts
• 5 demera sugar lumps (coarsely crushed)

Method:

Grease and line base of an 18cm tin and preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced: 160°C) Place the butter, sugar, tea and fruit in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Stir then simmer for 5 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Sift flour into fruit-tea mixture and beat in. Mix in lemon zest and juice; beaten egg and walnuts and bake for 1hour-1h15m. Leave to cool in the tin before removing. 

Jinghan Says: 

This cake becomes more lovely and moist over time so if you can resist it leave it for a day or two before eating. I used dark-brown sugar instead of muscovado sugar, and the cake was just as delicious. Definitely make your tea stronger than you would when drinking it so that it's aroma is not lost when the cake is baked.