Swe et Dreams
Indulge your inner baker by creating these colourful, fun desserts. Whether you want an Instagram-worthy layer cake thanks to impressive decorating techniques, special treats to serve with coffee or tea, or a delicious centrepiece for your Easter brunch,
Hands-on time: 35 minutes Total time: 2½ hours Makes: 12 servings
Enjoy a slice (or two!) of this aromatic loaf—scented with a touch of lavender, bittersweet orange and underlying notes of Earl Grey tea—with your afternoon cuppa. Candied Orange Zest: 1 orange 1 cup + 3 tbsp granulated sugar 1 cup cold water Loaf: 6 Lady Grey tea bags ¾ cup warm milk ½ cup unsalted butter, softened ⅔ cup granulated sugar 2 eggs half vanilla bean 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp dried lavender, chopped 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt Citrus Icing: ¼ cup unsalted butter,
softened 2 tbsp orange juice ¼ tsp lemon zest ¼ tsp vanilla 1½ cups icing sugar 1 tsp dried lavender
Candied Orange Zest: Using wide vegetable peeler, cut strips of zest from whole orange. Slice lengthwise into thin strips. Place in small saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to boil; drain. Repeat 3 times. In same saucepan, stir 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar with ⅔ cup water; bring to boil. Add orange zest; reduce heat and simmer until zest is softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain through fine-mesh sieve into bowl; reserve syrup. Spread zest out on parchment paper; let cool. Toss zest with remaining sugar; coarsely chop. (Makeahead: Wrap zest in plastic wrap and store syrup in airtight container; refrigerate for up to 5 days.) Loaf: Steep 4 of the tea bags in warm (not boiling) milk for 10 minutes; discard tea bags. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Using paring knife, halve vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out seeds; discard pod. Beat in vanilla seeds. In separate bowl, whisk together Candied Orange Zest, flour, tea leaves from remaining tea bags, the lavender, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture, alternating with milk, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 of milk, until smooth. Scrape into greased parchment paper–lined 8- x 4-inch (1.5 L) loaf pan, smoothing top. Bake in 325°F oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Using skewer, poke holes throughout cake. Gradually pour ½ cup of the reserved orange syrup over top. Let cool completely. Lift out onto rack; peel off parchment paper. (Make-ahead: Wrap in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to 12 hours.) Citrus Icing: Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat together butter, orange juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Gradually beat in icing sugar until smooth. Spread over top of loaf. Sprinkle with lavender.
PER SERVING: about 363 cal, 4 g pro, 13 g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 59 g carb (1 g dietary fibre, 47 g sugar), 64 mg chol, 145 mg sodium, 106 mg potassium. % RDI: 4% calcium, 7% iron, 13% vit A, 7% vit C, 16% folate.