Sweet as, brew
Jordan Rondel
These little baby cakes make a dainty treat for any time of day. I love them warmed up slightly in the microwave, eaten alongside a cup of milky tea.
Earl Grey tea baby cakes
Makes about 30 baby cakes
For the cake:
❚ 3⁄4 cup whole milk
❚ 3 Earl Grey tea bags
❚ 100g light muscovado or soft brown sugar
❚ 100g honey
❚ 150g butter, softened
❚ 1 tsp vanilla extract
❚ 3 free range eggs
❚ 150g plain or spelt flour
❚ 50g ground almonds
❚ 2 tsp baking powder
❚ Pinch sea salt
❚ Contents of one Earl Grey tea bag
For the Earl Grey glaze: ❚ 110g icing sugar
❚ 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180C fan bake. Grease 30 holes of a mini cupcake tray very well.
First, in a small saucepan, heat the milk until bubbles start to appear on the surface. Take off the heat, add in the 3 tea bags and leave them to steep into the milk while you make the cake batter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar, honey, butter and vanilla until pale, light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Gradually fold through the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt. Stop your mixer once everything is just combined, being careful not to overmix.
In a small bowl, place 3 tbsp of the tea infused milk, and fold the rest of the milk into the cake batter. Finally fold through 3⁄4 of the contents from a ripped open tea bag (leaving the remaining 1⁄4 of the leaves for the glaze).
Evenly divide the batter between the 30 mini cupcake holes.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool a little in the tin before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Meanwhile make the glaze. To the bowl containing the tea infused milk, add the icing sugar and vanilla and mix together until smooth. Finally fold through the remainder of the tea bag contents.
Once the cakes are fully cooled, drizzle the glaze over top using a spoon or fork.
Serve at room temperature.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.