I'm a tea addict, what can I say? It's a British stereotype I will happily conform to. Taking things a step further, I've gone from drinking tea to baking with it. This recipe gives a wonderful afternoon tea experience by combining Earl Grey with lemon and a fruit cake. If you don't happen to have a bundtlette tin, don't worry I've included a recipe for a large bundt tin at the bottom of the page.
Makes 6
Hands-on Time 50 minutes (plus overnight for soaking the fruit)
Baking Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp Loose leaf Earl Grey tea
200g Raisins & currants
3 tbsp Plain flour
140g Caster sugar
90g Unsalted butter (softened)
1 Egg, large
140g Self-raising flour (sieved)
1 Lemon
150g Icing sugar
Equipment
Saucepan
Small sieve
Measuring jug
Clingfilm
Bundtlette tin (6 mould)
Pastry brush
2 Small bowls, microwaveable
Microwave
Wooden spoon
Food processor / coffee grinder
Large bowl
Spatula
Micro-grater
Spoon
Cake tester / skewer
Hand juicer
Small whisk
Mixing bowl
Disposable piping bag
Scissors
Pour 170ml of water into the saucepan, add 1/2 tbsp of tea leaves and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
Turn off the heat and leave to brew for 15 minutes.
Place the sieve over the measuring jug and strain 140ml of tea. Discard the rest along with the tea leaves.
Add the raisins and currants to the tea, carefully.
Cover with clingfilm and leave to sit in the fridge overnight.
When you're ready to make the cake, put 20g of butter into a small microwaveable bowl and pop into the microwave, on a low power setting, heating no longer than 20 seconds at a time. Stir it with the pastry brush in between rests until the butter has melted.
Brush every nook and cranny of the bundtlette tin with the melted butter.
Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp of plain flour into each of the cake moulds.
Shake and turn the tin around, coating the insides of the cake moulds.
Turn the tin over a bin and tap the bottom of each tin a few times with the wooden spoon to ensure all excess flour falls out.
Now, put to one side.
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C(Fan)/325°F/Gas mark 3.
Put 1/2 tbsp of tea leaves and 70g of sugar into the food processor or coffee grinder.
Blitz until ground into a fine power.
Tip into the large bowl.
Add another 1/2tbsp of tea leaves to the processor/grinder and pulse until ground like coarse black pepper.
Tip into a small bowl.
Add the remaining 70g of butter on top of the sugary tea powder in the large bowl.
Using the wood spoon, cream the sugar and butter together.
Beat the egg into the mixture.
Add some of the self-raising flour and stir until some of the lumps have disappeared.
Add the remaining flour and fold into the cake mix.
Remove the clingfilm from the jug and add the fruit, along with tea, to the bowl.
Fold until evenly distributed.
Taking the micro-grater and lemon, grate half of the lemon zest over the cake mix.
Grate the other half over the ground tea in the small bowl. Shake the bowl backwards and forwards a few times so the zest can mix in with the tea. Don't be tempted to stir as you don't want it to clump together.
Fold the zest into the cake mix.
Divide the mix between the 6 cake moulds, scrapping the bowl clean with the spatula.
Using a spoon, press the cake mix into the moulds to smooth the tops and ensure there are no air pockets.
Pop into the oven on a middle shelf for 20 minutes.
Whilst the cakes are baking, add 100ml of water, 70g of caster sugar, and 1/2 tbsp of tea to the saucepan.
Stir with a spatula in order to dissolve the sugar before putting over a moderate heat.
Bring to a boil before turning the heat off and leaving to rest.
The cakes will be ready when a tester comes out clean. Remove them from the oven.
Prick each cake with a cake tester or skewer in a couple of places before spooning the syrupy tea over them.
Try not to spoon any of the loose leaves onto the cakes.
Leave to cool in the tins for approx 30 minutes.
Place a wire rack, upside down, on top of the cakes.
Flip over and remove the tin, carefully. You should find the cakes will come out of the tin without any or very little encouragement.
Squeeze the lemon over a small bowl, remove any pips.
Add the icing sugar to a mixing bowl.
Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and whisk.
Add more lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time, until you have a very thick consistency, which isn't runny.
Spoon into the piping bag before cutting the tip off. Snip a 5mm hole.
Pipe the icing down the creases of each cake.
With a clean hand, take a pinch of the ground tea and lemon zest you prepared earlier, and season each cake.
Enjoy!
Large Bundt Cake Version
Serves 12
Hands-on Time 50 minutes (plus overnight for soaking the fruit)
Baking Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
250ml Water
3 tbsp Loose leaf Earl Grey tea
330g Raisins & Currants
3 tbsp Plain flour
180g Caster sugar
130g Unsalted butter, (softened)
2 Eggs, medium
220g Self-raising flour (sieved)
1 Lemon
150g Icing sugar
Equipment
Saucepan
Small sieve
Measuring jug
Clingfilm
Bundt tin
Pastry brush
2 Small bowls, microwaveable
Microwave
Wooden spoon
Food processor / coffee grinder
Large bowl
Spatula
Micro-grater
Spoon
Cake tester / skewer
Hand juicer
Small whisk
Mixing bowl
Disposable piping bag
Scissors
Here are abridged instructions with the adjusted ingredients for a large bundt cake. It will pay to read the main recipe first, as the processes are mostly the same, mostly.
Pour 250ml of water into the saucepan, add 1 tbsp of tea leaves and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave to brew for 15 minutes.
Sieve over the measuring jug, and strain 220ml of tea. Discard the rest along with the tea leaves. Add the fruit to the tea, carefully. Cover with clingfilm and sit in the fridge overnight.
The next day, put 20g of butter in the small bowl and pop it into the microwave, on a low power setting, heating no longer than 20 seconds at a time. Stir it with the pastry brush in between rests until the butter has melted.
Brush the bundt tin with the melted butter before adding 3 tbsp of plain flour. Shake and turn the tin around, coating all of the insides. Turn the tin over and tap the bottom of a few times to ensure all excess flour falls out.
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C(Fan)/325°F/Gas mark 3.
Put 1 tbsp of tea leaves and 110g of sugar into the food processor or coffee grinder. Blitz until a fine power. Tip into the large bowl.
Add 1/2 tbsp of tea leaves to the processor/grinder and pulse until ground. Tip into a small bowl.
Add the remaining 110g of butter on top of the sugary tea powder in the large bowl. Cream together using a spoon.
Beat the egg into the mixture.
Add some of the self-raising flour and stir until some of the lumps have disappeared. Add the remaining flour and fold into the cake mix.
Add the fruit, along with tea, to the bowl. Fold until evenly distributed.
Grate three quarters of the lemon zest over the cake mix.
Grate the other quarter over the ground tea in the small bowl. Shake the bowl backwards and forwards a few times so the zest can mix in with the tea.
Fold the zest into the cake mix. Spoon the mix into the tin. Use a spoon to press the cake mix into the tin to try and ensure there are no air pockets and the top is smooth.
Pop into the oven on a middle shelf for 40 minutes.
Add 100ml of water, 70g of caster sugar, and 1/2 tbsp of tea to the saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved before putting over a moderate heat. Bring to a boil before turning the heat off and leaving.
When the cake has finished baking, remove from the oven. Prick with a cake tester or skewer in a couple of places before spooning over the syrupy tea.
Leave to cool in the tin for approx 30 minutes.
Place a wire rack, upside down, on top of the cake. Flip over and remove the tin, carefully.
Squeeze the lemon over a small bowl.
Add the icing sugar to a mixing bowl.
Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice and whisk. Add more lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time, until you have a very thick consistency, which isn't runny.
Spoon into the piping bag before cutting the tip off. You should make a 5mm hole.
Pipe the icing down the creases of the cake.
With a clean hand, take a pinch of the ground tea and lemon zest and season the cake.
Enjoy!
