Raspberry & Lemon Tea Cake

Tea is one of my favourite warm as well as cold beverage, I enjoy both the milk tea as well as fine black and green. Especially since its peak winter here in Rajasthan and I've been ill past almost over a month now, I've been at the liberty of having several cups of tea a day, this recipe came up to justify the thought " Tea without cake, is just a meeting"-Julia Child.

I am always curious to use innovative flavours and incorporate them in my cooking, the fruits used in this one are all sour and citrusy although together with the sponge they all stand out subtle and defined as the bite progresses, the first flavours to tingle your taste buds would be the lemon progressing into a warm tinge of cinnamon and orange, last taste on the palate being of subtle raspberry, through then texture of the cake a nice crunch from the raspberries. The cake pairs best with black assam tea or floral/regular green tea, we enjoyed the cake with organic tea from the makaibari estate. 

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• 250 gms flour 
• 125 gms granulated brown sugar
• 125 gms + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder 
• 6 eggs 
• 100 gms vegetable oil 
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of two lemons
• 2 oranges 
• a pinch of cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup fresh/frozen raspberries (diced)

METHOD:

CAKE:

• Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees.
• Sift the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl and set aside. 
• Whisk the brown sugar and white sugar with the oil, until it reaches a creamy consistency 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the eggs two at a time, while whisking.
• Stop whisking the mixture and add in the chopped raspberry, vanilla extract, 2 tbsp lemon juice and lemon zest, gently mix it with a spatula.
• Add the sifted flour to this mixture in three batches while whisking. 
• Spoon the batter in a greased tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes clean.
• Allow it to cool on wire rack for .5 hours.
• Warm the remaining lemon juice and add 1 tbsp sugar to it
• Fork the surface of the cake and by using a greasing brush or cotton allow the lemon juice mixture to seep through the cake by gently dabbing on the surface

ORANGE TOPPING:

• Halve the orange slices from two medium sized oranges
• In a flat pan, add 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of water, allow the sugar to melt.
• Add in the oranges and cover the simmering mixture.
• allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes on medium flame or until the oranges are glossy,
• Sprinkle the pinch of cinnamon and arrange it as you desire on the cake 

We hope you enjoy baking this!! your suggestions and feedback are valuable to us, do post in the comments !!!

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Caramel and rum spiced cake

Its the third page of the year 2017, the charm and freshness of the festivities seem to be bidding adieu, my younger sister who was the inspiration behind baking this delicious gooey rich cake is back to uni, I join back work and the mundane routine from tomorrow, the vigour with which the year came in  is evaporating. In moments like these the oven and kitchen supplies come to rescue. My mother bakes us a christmas cake each year and i use the left over soaked fruits to make my  boozy cake the recipe of which you can find in my blog archives boozy cake recipe, this year  i made an experimental cake which turned out fantastic, infant one of the best cakes I've ever baked.

INGREDIENTS:

• Mixed dried fruits soaked in rum 2.5 Cups (raisins, tutti-fruity cherries, walnuts, candid ginger, figs, orange peel, cashew nuts, dates, almonds etc) we soak 4 cups of mixed nuts and fruits in 500 ml of rum for more than a month,( for two cakes), for this cake you must soak the fruits for at-least 3 days.
• Caramel * Follow method 
• 2 cloves}
• 2 cardamom}                           *finely ground 
• A stick of cinnamon}
• nutmeg }
• 2 cups flour (maida)
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 4 eggs 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup oil 
• 1/2 cup melted clarified butter (ghee) 

METHOD:

• SOAKING THE FRUITS 

Add two cups of assorted mixed nuts and fruits in a glass jar, mix in 1 cup of rum to it. allow the fruits to soak in the rum for as long as you, minimum of three days. 

• CARAMEL

Add 1/2 cup of sugar in a heavy bottomed sauce pan with 1 tbsp of water ( do not stir).

Let the sugar melt, on low flame when it turns dark brown, remove the pan from flame and add 1/2 cup of warm water carefully as the water will splash.

Bring it back to flame and boil it for 1-2 minutes.

• CAKING IT UP 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees.

Drain the soaked fruits and toss them to coat them in flour (3-4 tbsp) this prevents the cake to collect at the bottom of the cake and allows an even spread through the cake.

Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl and keep aside 

Separate the eggs.

Beat the egg yolks gradually with the oil and clarified butter, until it is thoroughly combined. 

Add the sugar gradually to the above mixture, whisk until combined.

Add in the cooled caramel and vanilla essence and ground spices to the above mix.

Add sifted flour in two parts.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.

Fold in the egg whites to the prepared mixture in 3 parts.

Slowly, add in the soaked fruits again in 3 parts and mix until just combined. Do not over mix the batter at this stage.

Spoon the batter in a greased bundt cake tin.

Cook for 55 minutes or until the skewer comes clean . * check the cake at 45 minutes. 

Allow the cake to rest in the tin for 30 minutes before allowing it to cool on the wire rack.

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