More baking with Typhoo

So we’re back from an Italian mini break and we went and exhausted ourselves again. We never learn. We have three kids, both work hard, don’t have a cleaner or a lady who ‘does’; what I’m getting at is that we’re pretty stretched most of the time. Getting away together for two days is a big deal. It’s time to not look at the ironing pile, time to ignore the washing machine bleeping, time to not change a nappy or find a PE kit.

And yet we never learn. We should have relaxed, we should have eaten leisurely breakfasts on the terrace, lolled about in cafes drinking wine and eating pastries. Nope, instead we did a lot of sightseeing and so, upon our return, were fit to drop.

And what was the first thing we did after opening the front door? Why, to make a delicious cup of Typhoo tea. And how did we drink it? Sitting on the super comfy padded seats at our kitchen table. And was it relaxing? Yes! It tasted of home.

Remind me to take some Typhoo tea with me the next time we go away will you?

This week I have two new tea infused bakes for you. First up, a coconut, cinnamon and tea loaf that’s the kind of bake I like to pop on the table when friends come for a cuppa. It’s a loaf to thickly slice, to eat with a mug of tea, to possibly slather with butter and to certainly sneak an extra slice of. It’s a wholesome cake, like the cakes I remember from my childhood.

My second baked offering is altogether a different thing. Honeyed lemon tea cupcakes are dainty and delicate little cupcakes using the classic combination of lemon, honey and tea. Topped with a decadent lemon meringue buttercream, these are cakes for an occasion. I hope you like them both. Do let me know if you make either of them and if you put your own twist on them?

Coconut, cinnamon and tea loaf

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

300ml strong, hot Typhoo tea (made with 2 teabags)
280g raisins
300g self-raising flour
40g desiccated coconut
55g dark brown muscavado sugar
60g caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Make the tea in a jug or bowl (leaving the teabags in) and add the raisins to it. Leave for 20 minutes.

In the meantime stir together the flour, coconut, sugars and cinnamon until well distributed.

If the brown sugar has any lumps be sure to squash these with the back of a spoon. Add the raisins and tea being careful to discard the teabags. Then add the egg. Use a spoon to combine, but beware overmixing.

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour until a skewer comes out of the centre of the cake clean.

Cool on a wire rack in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

Serve with a cup of Typhoo tea!

Honeyed lemon tea cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients:

For the cake:

150g soft salted butter
125g castor sugar
25g honey
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Typhoo tea bag
Zest of 1 lemon
150g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk

For the drizzle:

Juice of 2 lemons
55g honey

For the icing:

120g egg white (about 3 large egg whites though you should use the pasteurised whites found in cartons if you are worried about salmonella etc)
Zest of 1 lemon
240g castor sugar
75g cold water
390g very soft, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

To decorate:

1 Typhoo tea bag

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/gas mark 3 and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cases. Make the cakes by beating together the butter, sugar and honey for about 5 minutes with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until really light and creamy.

Beat the eggs in a jug with the Typhoo tea (from the teabag) and the zest and add a little at a time to the creamy butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.

Fold in the flour, baking powder and lastly the milk.

Divide equally between the cases and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until a skewer comes out of the middle cupcake clean.

Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, whisk the egg whites and zest to soft peaks in a free standing mixer.

Add a tablespoon of the castor sugar to the egg whites, whisk again to incorporate and turn the mixer off. Place the cold water and the rest of the sugar into a small pan (I use a milk pan) with a sugar thermometer and heat until it reaches 121°C.

Then turn the mixer onto a medium speed and pour the boiling sugar syrup into the mixer in one continuous stream. (Don’t worry if your mixer looks a mess and has boiled sugar attached to the side of the bowl and the whisk, it washes off with hot soapy water).

Leave the mixer running for about 5 – 7 minutes until the bowl is cold to the touch. (You are essentially making Italian meringue here; simply cooking the egg whites with the hot sugar).

In the meantime heat the drizzle ingredients in a pan over a medium heat until starting to bubble and then carefully brush or pour over the cupcakes.

When the mixer bowl is cold, start to add the butter in pieces about the size of a pound coin.

Add one every 5 seconds with the whisk on a medium speed. Once it’s all added, turn the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. Don’t worry if the mixture looks unappetising, it’ll come together in the end! Stop the mixer every minute or so to scrape the sides and the whisk and ensure any blobs of butter are properly beaten in.

When the lemon meringue buttercream looks well mixed, use to spread or pipe over the cupcakes.