The perfect cake for your afternoon tea sesh 🐸 ☕️ infused with ginger + @ahmadtea special blend tea + dried apricots and iced with the easiest small batch cream cheese frosting I could come up with, this recipe really takes the cake. Since I live in #WildRoseCountry and flowers are blooming, I decorated mine with dried + fresh flowers. Simple and elegant.
Makes one 8 inch cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 earl grey tea bags (I used Ahmed’s Tea Special Blend)
1 tbs/ 6 thin slices fresh ginger
1 inch piece of vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
For the Frosting
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small saucepan, add the milk, ginger, and vanilla extract. Cut the tea bags open and empty the contents into the milk. Turn the heat on to low and let milk come up to a simmer. Turn the heat off and allow the tea to steep for 7-10 mins. Remove the ginger slices.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream on medium until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn mixer up to high and continue to cream for 3 minutes until very pale and fluffy. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, combined the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and fold in with a spatula. Once just incorporated, add half of the milk and use the electric mixer on low to mix until incorporated. Continue alternating flour and milk in turns until done. Once done, fold in the apricots with a spatula, being careful not to over-mix. Transfer the batter into a greased 8 inch cake pan. Bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing the cake, at least 3 hours.
4. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer and beat on medium high until fully combined. Add the powdered sugar, 1 tbs at a time, while continuing to beat with the mixer. Once all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer on to high and whip for 3 minutes until very fluffy and pale. When the cake has cooled, ice the top of the cake with the frosting. Cut and serve.