A slice of cake and a big cup of tea. That's what I need right now. And this really is the perfect kind of tea cake; a light and soft orange sponge cake, dotted with currants and drenched in Earl Grey-infused condensed milk. Not too heavy and not too sweet, just the way I love my cakes. I needed a piece to go along with the rant that is about to happen here. If you prefer to start your Monday with sunshine and puppies, now would be a VERY good time to click away from this post.
If you follow me on twitter you might have noticed my tweet about the striking similarities between my 2-year-old Tim Tam Cake and a 'Timtastic' Cake that is featured in an Australian food magazine and website this month. The recipes are slightly different and there is no copyright infringement of any sort.
I don't usually make a big deal about copycats. I am not a fan of dramaz on teh internetz. The internet is a very big place with a lot of incredibly creative people who are bound to come up with similar ideas every now and then. I'm sure that I've made recipes that other people have already written about, but I ALWAYS, ALWAYS put every effort into crediting the source of my recipes or inspirations. I know a lot of people suck at giving proper credit online, but I try my best.
Edit: Of course people are taking my rant out of context and kicking up drama, which I hate. I really don't want to spend any time defending myself for being sad about this. So I would just like to state the fact that I am in no way claiming ownership over the idea of a 'Tim Tam Cake'. I just think this particular version looked incredibly similar. It could just be a coincidence. I'll just leave it at that. Oh and I'll leave Molly up :)
Orange Sponge Cake with Currants and Earl-Grey Infused Condensed Milk Glaze
(adapted from this Taste of Home recipe, serves 8-10)
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
160g (about 1 1/4 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup (75g) sugar + 1/2 cup (115g) sugar, preferably caster/superfine
Juice and grated zest of one orange
40g (about 3tbsp) butter, melted and cooled slightly
Optional: 1/2 cup currants
For the glaze: 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and 2 tsp (about 2 tea bags) Earl Grey Tea
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) (180°C (350°F)(you may need to adjust to 170°C (340° F) for fan-forced). Grease and line a 20-22cm round springform tin with baking paper. Sift flour and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Place egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until slightly thickened. Gradually add 1/3 cup of sugar, beating well until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. Beat in juice and zest, then use a spatula to fold in flour mixture until just combined. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg whites on high with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, then gradually add 1/2 sugar and beat until thick and glossy stiff peaks form. Stir 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then fold the remaining egg white mixture in. Finally, fold in the melted butter until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared tin, you can cut through the batter with a knife to remove any large air bubbles, I also gave the tin a gently rap on the counter. Sprinkle currants over the top of the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the centre of the cake springs back quickly when lightly touched and the outside is golden brown. While cake is baking prepare the glaze; place condensed milk and loose tea leaves in a small saucepan over low heat and stir well for about 10 minutes, until condensed milk has been infused with the flavour of the tea. Strain mixture to remove the large tea leaves. When cake is ready, remove from oven and cool in tin for 5 minutes and then carefully turn out and cool on a wire rack. While cake is still warm, drizzle a thin layer of glaze over the top of the cake. This will stop the currants from going crunchy. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
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