I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday! I've had a busy day at work but just thought I'd get some blogging done before settling down to watch some TV (yes, this is what your Saturday night looks like when all your friends go to uni *sad face*).
I made this cake last night after a false start the day before (the first instruction on the recipe is 'Put the sultanas in a bowl with the tea and leave to soak overnight'!) and thought a few of you might like the recipe. I mean, what's not to like about plump, tea-infused sultanas, honey and spices?
It's from a recipe book called 'Tea at Fortnum & Mason', so hopefully you'll feel sufficiently high-brow after having whipped up this gorgeous tea-time treat.
Ingredients-
- 200g sultanas
- 200ml freshly brewed Earl Grey tea (it's important that it is Earl Grey, as this is where a lot of the flavour comes from)
- 75g softened butter
- 125g light brown soft sugar
- 2 tbsp set honey
- 2 eggs
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 75g pecans, chopped
1. Place the sultanas in a bowl, pour over the tea and leave to soak overnight. This with soften and fatten the sultanas, as well as infuse them with the aromatic flavours of Earl Grey tea.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease and line a loaf tin. Using a loaf tin lining case is even quicker and easier and doesn't involve any greasing!
3. Whisk the butter, sugar and honey, either by hand or with an electric mixer. If you're doing it by hand, you'll want the butter to be quite soft (but not melted!), so stick it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
4. Slowly add the eggs, followed by the sifted flour, mixed spice, pecans and sultanas. Pour in any extra tea that hasn't been soaked up, as this will add flavour.
5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 40-60 mins, depending on your oven. If in doubt, set the timer for 40 and check the cake after that. It's better to have to add a little more time than to open the oven door to see that your hard work has burnt! You can tell when it's done by poking it with a skewer and seeing if it comes out clean.
6. Let the cake cool in the tin, then slice and serve with a cup of tea! If you're baking it a couple of days in advance of an occasion, pop it in an airtight container and it will keep for up to five days.
Hopefully you'll give this classic cake a go in the fairly near future- I don't think you'll regret it!
I'd love to know how you got on with this cake, or please feel free to share any other recipes in the comments section below!
Harriet x
