JASMINE AND HONEY TRAYBAKE

For an afternoon treat with friends, try this delicious traybake using a syrup infused with jasmine tea and wild honey. I’ve piped buttercream flowers, which any beginner can try. Alternatively you could buy shop-bought sugarpaste flowers.

Serves 16

● 3 jasmine pearl tea bags

● 200g (7oz) unsalted butter, softened

● 150g (5½oz) golden caster sugar

● 200g (7oz) orange blossom honey

● 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

● 250g (9oz) self-raising flour,

sifted

● A pinch of fine salt

● 2tsp caster sugar

For the decoration

● 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter

● 150g (5½oz) icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

● 1tsp honey

● Sugar pearls, optional

Set the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/ gas 4. Soak the tea bags in

100ml boiling water. Line a

30cm x 23cm traybake tin with baking parchment.

Put the butter, sugar and honey in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs until well combined. Add the flour, salt and 2tbsp of the jasmine tea, and fold together to make a smooth mixture.

Spread into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden and just firm to the touch. Pierce the top of the cake with a skewer.

To make the syrup, strain the tea, removing the teabags, and stir in the 2tsp sugar until dissolved. Drizzle over the warm cake. Cool, then cut the cake into 16 squares and dust with icing sugar.

To make the icing, beat the softened butter with the icing sugar and honey until smooth, and then place in a piping bag fitted with a No 2 fine plain piping nozzle. Pipe small blossom shapes on top of each cake and decorate with sugar pearls, if using.