The recipe comes to you from my husband Jeff Reid. A few Saturdays ago he woke up with a desire to bake (a first) and he said he was feeling ‘like an Earl’. So he got to work. The result was this bright Teacake, just perfect for afternoon tea on a Summer afternoon.
The flavors in this cake will peak your interest - Earl Grey has a citrus note already, but then pared with the Orange Zest … this cake just sings.
Of course you can make this Gluten Free by subbing in your favorite Gluten Free Baking Mix. The texture may vary according to the flour mix you choose - but that just kind of comes with the territory of cooking gluten free. *
*Don’t be intimidated by the process - if Jeff Reid can do it so can you!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted Butter
1 cup raw Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Orange Zest
2 Tbsp Orange Juice
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Spelt Flour ( or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 TBSP loose leaf Earl Grey Tea (just cut a few bags open)
1/3 cup whole Milk
1/2 cup plain Yoghurt
for the Frosting:
1/2 cup Mascarpone Cheese
3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
3 Earl Grey teabags
1/4 cup confectioners Sugar
Method:
First we get the flavor going for the frosting: In a small saucpan bring the heavy cream just to simmer then remove from the heat. Pour the cream over the teabags and place to the side to steep 30-45 miins.
Now onto the cake:
Preheat your oven to 350. Line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper (you can grease the pan too).
Cream together the Butter and Sugar until light a fluffy, about 2 mins using a hand mixer or kitchen aid etc. Add the eggs in one at a time beating after each addition. Stir in the Orange Zest and Juice.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a seperate bowl, then add 1/2 of it to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until incorperated, then add in the yoghurt and milk and mix until just combined. Finally add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix to combine. Careful not to overmix at this point.
Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake 30-35 mins, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow to FULLY cool.
Back to the Frosting:
Squeeze all the flavor from those teabags into the cream. It shold be fully cool now.
Whip the cooled cream and cofectioners sugar to very soft peaks, then fold in the Mascarpone Cream. Continue to mix until soft peaks form, i should look like a lighter cream cheese frosting.
To finish:
Frost the Cake and top with a little sprinkle of Orange Zest. Adding Mint here is really good too!
Enjoy!
xo Jeff and Beth