This festive season add you daily brew to a delicious sweet treat, by making our Earl Grey Tea & Gin Christmas Cake. Not only is it a perfect Christmas inspired recipe for the season, but also packed with fruit and spices, as well as being absolutely delicious!
Why Earl Grey Tea?
Being rich and well-rounded, yet still beautifully delicate, our Supreme Earl Grey Tea brings a distinct Bergamot citrus fruit note to the spices of this delicious dessert.
It's bright, citrusy and floral qualities invite you to slow down and take a breath, making it the perfect mid-morning or afternoon brew that can be enjoyed with or without milk, or as the perfect accompaniment to a slice of cake!
If Earl Grey is not to your taste, some great alternatives would be our Mary Grey, a more delicate and subtle fruity black tea, or our Duchess Earl Grey, a more floral flavour with citrus tang.
Ingredients
1.2kg dried mixed fruit
75g stoned dates, roughly chopped
6tbsp loose leaf Supreme Earl Grey loose leaf tea
100ml gin to soak the fruit, plus extra for feeding the cake
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g dark brown muscovado sugar
1tbsp treacle
4 medium eggs, beaten
250g plain flour
1tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground allspice
75g walnut pieces
Directions
- Place the dried fruit and dates into a large non-metallic bowl, whilst stirring 2tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves into 200ml hot water, then pour over fruit, together with the gin.
- Stir to coat the fruit, then cover with clingfilm and leave to soak overnight at room temperature
- Preheat oven to 140°C, grease and line an 8inch round deep cake tin with baking parchment, ensuring 2cm extra from the top. Then wrap a double layer of baking parchment around outside of tin, and secure with string.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and treacle until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs, mix in flour, remaining tea leaves, spices, soaked fruit with liquid and walnuts. Then scrape into prepared tin and level.
- Bake for 3 ¼ - 3 ½ hrs, or until skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 30 mins, then leave to cool completely on wire rack.
We would love to see your creations, so if you try this recipe out make sure to tag us @theteamakers and #tearecipes
If you want to explore more of our tea inspired recipes check out our Festive Recipes collection and our Christmas Tea Shop to discover all of our winter warming recommendations!
