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Spiced tea cake with honey frosting PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 45 MINS (+ COOLING & REFRIGERATION) SERVES 12
3/4 cup (180ml) milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
4 chai tea bags
150g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) firmly packed
brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
60g glacé ginger, thinly sliced
2 tbsp honey
GINGER SYRUP
3cm piece fresh ginger,
grated
2 tbsp caster sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) water
FROSTING
1½ cups (240g) icing sugar,
sifted
500g cream cheese, softened
125g butter, softened
1 Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease a deep 20cm round cake pan. Line base and side with three layers of baking paper.
2 Bring milk to the boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pan, then add vanilla bean and tea bags. Stand for 5 minutes. Discard vanilla bean and tea bags.
3 Beat the butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Fold in the sifted flour, ground spices and milk mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan.
4 Bake cake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 15 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.
5 To make the ginger syrup, stir all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil, without stirring, for 1 minute. Strain syrup into a small jug. Discard the ginger.
6 To make the frosting, process all the ingredients until smooth and combined. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until slightly firm.
7 Split the cake into three layers. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake plate. Brush with one-third of the ginger syrup, then spread with one-third of the honey frosting. Top with the middle cake layer, brush with another third of the syrup and frosting. Finish with the top layer of cake, brushing the underside with the remaining ginger syrup. Spread the top with remaining frosting. Decorate with glacé ginger and drizzle with honey.