Cakes & Bakes: Earl Grey yogurt cake

This is the ultimate loaf cake to have with an afternoon cuppa. My attempt at Earl Grey yogurt cake was a roaring success.

I really like Earl Grey (and Lady Grey) tea – I don’t know why I don’t drink it more often. It lends a beautiful fragrance to to the loaf. I thought that actual tea leaves in the recipe would make the cake chewy or bitty. However, so long as you remove any of the thick or stalky bits, it’s absolutely fine.

A sprinkling of Demerara or granulated sugar over the top just before it goes into the oven ensures a lovely crunchy top.

The original recipe recommends toasting slices of the cake and spreading it with butter – it didn’t last long enough for me to try that out.

I took a few slices to my weekly crafty afternoon meet-up and was duly asked for the recipe – so it was a double success!

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

Earl Grey yogurt cake

2020-03-11 12:22:05

Serves 6

Cook Time

1 hr

Cook Time

1 hr

Ingredients

220g/7¾oz vegetable oil, plus more for pan
250g/9oz all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs
250g/9oz granulated sugar
245g/8½oz plain whole-milk yogurt
3 tbsp loose-leaf Earl Grey tea or tea from bags
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp raw or granulated sugar

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 325°F/ Gas mark 3
Lightly coat a 9x5" or 8½x4½" loaf tin with vegetable oil and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides
Sift flour, salt, baking powder and bicarb into a medium bowl to combine
Vigorously whisk the eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute. The mixture should be pale yellow and frothy
Whisk in the yogurt, tea leaves and vanilla extract
Gradually stream in the vegetable oil, whisking constantly until incorporated
Add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Gently tap the tin against surface to eliminate any air bubbles
Sprinkle evenly with the raw or granulated sugar
Bake the cake until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean - about 1 hour
Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin, then run a butter knife or offset spatula between the cake and tin to release
Lift it out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack

Notes

Serve warm or room temperature (or even better, toast slices and slather them with butter!)

Adapted from Bon Appétit

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: 9 best tea loaf cake recipes

What makes a good tea loaf cake (as opposed to a coffee cake… BIG difference!)?

Many types of tea loaf cake recipes contain a large amount of dried fruit, pre-soaked in some sort of liquid. It could be hot water, tea or alcohol such as brandy, whisky or rum. Slices of tea cake can often be spread with butter or margarine and sometimes jam or jelly. A light scraping in my case, lashed on thick for Justin. Lastly, of course, a tea cake needs to taste great alongside a cup of tea!

These are our 9 favourite tea loaf cake recipes to be devoured as an afternoon snack with a brew.

1. Almond loaf cake

Marzipan is one of my favourite flavours and this is it in cake form. This is a moist, morish tea cake with a final flourish from a drizzle of melted dark chocolate.

2. Bara brith

The national tea loaf cake of Wales! Every family would have their own version of the recipe containing differing amounts and combinations of dried fruit and spices. Topped with a honey glaze for extra sweetness!

3. Coconut loaf cake

This cake fills the house with the most amazing aroma while it’s cooking. If you’re not a tea-drinker (those people do exist) this cake also suits a cold glass of milk. It’s also one that suits a topping of fruit jam or jelly.

4. Prune tea loaf cake

Forget all bran, a few soaked prunes – especially Agen prunes – are a good way to keep yourself ‘regular’. Soak those prunes in Armagnac and bake them in a cake… even better!

5. Malt loaf

Another of those traditional tea loaf cake recipes. The usual brand commonly available in the supermarket, in my opinion, needs to be slathered in butter to make it moist enough to be edible. This version, from a Paul Hollywood recipe, is something else entirely. When making this one, I always bake double batches as I get so many requests for this one from friends.

6. Yorkshire tea loaf

We may not live in Yorkshire any longer, but this is still a firm favourite. We favour Yorkshire tea however, any strong black tea would be suitable. Warm, buttered, with a mug of strong Yorkshire tea is our preferred serving suggestion.

7. Date and walnut loaf cake

Date and walnut is a classic cake combo. This slightly crumblier, un-iced version is lovely sliced and spread with butter.

8. Earl Grey tea and lemon cake

Another traditional pairing is Earl Grey tea with a slice of lemon; here it is in the guise of a cake! Accompany it with a cup of Darjeeling, or double up on the flavour by serving it with a pot of Earl Grey tea.

9. Ginger loaf

A moist and spicy tea cake, one for autumn and winter. It’s full of unctuous golden syrup, black molasses and Muscovado sugar. This cake can also be served as a dessert, warm with lots of creamy custard poured over.

Do you have a favourite cake to eat with a cup of tea? Tell us about it below.

Cakes & Bakes: Elderflower and pink grapefruit cake

We’ve had one sunny day all week, so we decided to take full advantage of the good weather on Monday. As well as getting some washing done and hung out on the line, we went for a longish walk. It was one of our usual routes that takes us past some huge elder shrubs – and they’re currently in bloom!

The flowers are usually prolific and big as saucers, but this year they were small and scant. I thought someone had beaten me to it but it seems that they’ve just not had a very good year. I’ve picked and used them in the past to make elderflower crunch cake. This week, I’ve teamed them with a citrus fruit (that I actually like) and made an elderflower and pink grapefruit cake. Infusing sugar with the elderflowers was a great way to impart the delicate flavour into the cooked sponge.

I remember, as a child, having breakfast of half a grapefruit sprinkled with Demerara sugar and a few dashes of Angostura bitters. Produced in Trinidad and more usually associated with making cocktails, bitters and grapefruit juice make a delicious combination.

I added half a teaspoon of bitters to the batter and also a scant dash to the icing. It’s very potent stuff, you don’t want it to overpower the delicate flavour and fragrance of the elderflowers.

An afternoon tea loaf cake that I made using flavours that I like – and it didn’t disappoint. Making the icing with a little of the pink grapefruit juice instead of water proved a master stroke – it was very morish!

Elderflower and pink grapefruit cake

2019-06-05 14:48:10

Serves 8

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

1 large or 3 smaller elderflower heads
200g/7oz caster sugar
240g/8½oz unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 un-waxed pink grapefruit, zest and juice
½tsp Angostura bitters
210g/7½oz self-raising flour
90g/3oz plain flour

For the icing

250g/9oz icing (powdered) sugar
15ml/1tbsp pink grapefruit juice
scant dash of Angostura bitters

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For the cake

In a bowl with a lid, toss together the caster sugar and elderflowers. Cover, set aside and allow the flavour and fragrance of the flowers to infuse into the sugar for a few hours
Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with parchment paper or pre-made loaf tin liner
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/150ºC fan/325ºF/Gas mark 3
Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar (elderflowers removed) until light and fluffy
In a small measuring jug, lightly beat the eggs
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the plain and self-raising flour
With the mixer on a low speed, slowly pour in the beaten eggs in three stages alternating with the addition of a tablespoon of the flour (to prevent the mixture from curdling)
Add the remaining flour, grapefruit zest and all but 2 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice
Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and level using a spatula or back of a spoon
Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes away clean
Allow to cool in its tin for ½ hour before turning out on to a wire rack

For the icing

Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl
Stir in the reserved 1tbsp grapefruit juice and dash of bitters. If the consistency feels too wet or dry, add an extra teaspoonful of icing sugar or juice as required
Remove the parchment from the cooled cake and spoon the icing evenly over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides

Notes

If you can't get your hands on a pink grapefruit, a white or red one will be fine

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Jelly and coconut loaf cake

This week’s Cakes & Bakes fare brings together two of Justin’s favourites; afternoon tea loaf cake and jam & coconut slices. This jelly and coconut loaf cake was bound to be a pleaser!

I used a couple of tablespoons of my mixed fruit jelly and the remainder of a bag of coconut chips that I used to make Dolester Miles’ coconut pecan cake. If you can’t get hold of coconut chips, use a little dessicated coconut.

Of course, this cake has got to be teamed with a pot of tea!

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

Jelly and coconut loaf cake

2019-05-29 16:26:30

Serves 8

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 10 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 10 min

Ingredients

200g/7oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
200g/7oz caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
2tsp vanilla extract
200g/7oz self-raising flour
½tsp baking powder
200g/7oz berry jelly
25g/¾oz coconut chips, toasted

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
Line the base and sides of a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment or pre-made loaf tin liner
In a stand mixer with the K beater attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
In a medium measuring jug, lightly beat the eggs and vanilla extract and gradually add to the still turning stand mixer
Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold into the batter
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes away clean
Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before letting it cool completely on a wire rack
Remove the parchment and place on a serving plate
In a small saucepan over a low heat, whisk the jelly until smooth. Add a couple of teaspoons of water if necessary to thin a little
Pour the jelly evenly over the top of the loaf before sprinkling with the toasted coconut chips
Spread jam evenly over the top and scatter with desiccated coconut

Notes

If you can't get hold of coconut chips, simply use about 10-15 grams of dessicated instead

Adapted from Good Housekeeping

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/