‘Serve for afternoon tea with hot cross buns, Welsh rarebit, macarons and lashings of earl grey tea,’ says Laura Bolt of Lahloo Pantry in Bristol.
Serves 16
1. Mix together the dried fruit and orange zest in a large bowl. Brew 500ml of earl grey tea and when well infused, pour over the fruit. Leave to soak for several hours until the fruit has plumped.
2. Preheat the oven to 160°c/gas 3 and line the base of a 24cm springform cake tin. Drain the liquid from the fruit and keep it for later.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together until coffee-coloured and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually, while continuing to beat. Sieve together the dry ingredients and fold these, along with the ground almonds, into the mixture.
4. Fold in the drained fruit, 5 tbsp of the reserved liquid and the juice of the orange. Spoon into the prepared tin.
5. Bake for 1 hour, then turn the heat down to 150°c/gas 2 and bake for a further 2 hours.
6. Make the glaze while the cake is in the oven: pour the water, 2 tsp of earl grey tea, castor sugar and the lemon zest and juice into a small pan. Place on a low to medium heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
7. Once dissolved, boil the syrup for around 5 to 10 minutes, or until reduced by half.
8. Glaze the cake with the syrup and arrange the almonds on top. Once set in place, glaze again.
Lahloo Pantry
12 Kings Road, Bristol, BS8 4AB.
Tel. 0117 3292029.
www.lahloopantry.co.uk
