Wholesome Earl Grey & sultana roll

MAKES ONE 22CM CAKE

MAKES ONE ROUND LOAF

80g sultanas

125ml hot, strongly brewed Earl Grey tea

125g unsalted butter, softened 140g light brown sugar finely grated zest of 1 orange 2 eggs

75g wholemeal flour

50g plain flour, plus extra to dust 1 teaspoon baking powder pinch of salt

1 Place sultanas into a small bowl and cover with the hot Earl Grey tea. Cover and allow to plump for an hour or two.

2 Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced and grease an 8 x 20cm nut roll tin (or medium loaf/bar tin) well with butter. Dust with plain flour, tapping out any excess.

3 Drain the soaked sultanas, reserving the tea.

4 In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5 Place the wholemeal flour, plain flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Add half to the creamed butter mixture, stirring gently, before adding the sultanas and 2 tablespoons of the reserved tea.

Mix until just combined, before adding the remaining flour, stirring gently until smooth.

6 Carefully spoon the mixture into the tin, using the back of the spoon to remove any pockets of air in the batter as you go. Tap the tin lightly on the bench a few times to settle the batter, then bake, tin upright, for 40-45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool further.

Serve the cake warm, in thick slices, with butter if you like. Accompany with a pot of Irish breakfast tea.

For when you need something substantial with your afternoon cup. Butter-slathering is highly recommended. If you aren’t in possession of a nut roll tin, bake this in a regular loaf (bar) tin.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

This is a cake of considerable charm – a gooey, dense, brownie-like cake studded with baked quince. Not a children’s cake by any means, but actually one of my kids’ favourites.

This cake can be made the day before you want to serve it, as it keeps happily in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just return to room temperature before serving.

180g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped

185g unsalted butter, cubed

3 eggs

220g caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

100g plain flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Dutch cocoa powder

8–10 slices Baked Quince (see below) thick (double) cream, to serve

BAKED QUICE

4 quinces, peeled, cored and cut into sixths juice of 4 oranges, plus 3 long strips of zest

110g caster sugar

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste)

BAKED QUINCE Preheat the oven to 150°C fan-forced. Place the quince wedges, orange juice and zest, sugar, cinnamon, star anise and vanilla in a baking dish and toss to combine. Arrange the quince slices in a single layer and cover the dish with foil. Bake in the oven for 2½–3 hours or until the fruit is beautifully ruby and tender. I like to turn the quince slices once or twice during this time and check that there is still enough liquid in the dish – add a little more orange juice or a splash of water to the dish if it’s looking a little dry. Allow the quince to cool, covered, in the dish before using. You won’t need all the quince for the crumble cake. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 3-4 days. Makes enough for 2 cakes

For the cake, increase the oven temperature to 160°C fanforced. Grease a 22cm round springform tin thoroughly with butter and line the base and side with baking paper.

Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir until the chocolate and butter have melted, then remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and whisk for a minute or two until bubbly. Pour the cooled melted butter and chocolate mixture in and whisk again until smooth.

Place the flour, salt and cocoa in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Sift the mixture on top of the chocolate mixture and fold through until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the tin and gently top with 8-10 slices of baked quince.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cake has risen slightly and formed a crust. The cake will still be a little wobbly underneath, which is what you want, as it will continue to cook as it cools. Allow to cool completely in the tin before carefully removing it and serving with thick cream. Accompany with a pot of

Early Grey tea.

For MORE

Recipes from The Plain Cake Appreciation

Society by Tilly Pamment, Murdoch Books, $39.99, available from all good booksellers.