Earl Grey, orange, and white chocolate sheet cake

配料

Ingredients- serves 12. For a smaller, 20-cm/8-in square cake, split the recipe in half

- For the cake

- 220ml (7½fl oz/scant 1 cup) milk

- 3-4 good-quality Earl Grey tea bags

- 120g (4¼oz/½ cup) unsalted butter

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 4 eggs

- 280g (10oz/scant 1½ cups) caster (granulated) sugar

- grated zest of 1½ oranges

- 280g (10oz/generous 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- For the syrup

- juice of 1 orange

- 30g (1oz/2½ Tbsp) caster (granulated) sugar

- 1-2 Earl Grey teabags

- For the buttercream

- 175g (6oz/¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened

- 130g (4½oz/scant 1 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar

- ¼ tsp salt

- 120g (4¼oz) white chocolate, melted, plus extra shavings

- flaked (slivered) almonds and

- dried cornflowers (optional)

步骤

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4). Grease a 23 x 33-cm (9 x 13-in) sheet pan and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to help you lift the sponge out later.

2. In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk, tea bags, butter and vanilla until just before the boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let the milk steep and cool for 15 minutes.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and two-thirds of the orange zest on high speed for 4–6 minutes or until the eggs are thick, pale and nearly doubled in volume.

4. Remove the tea bags from the cooled milk and with the mixer still running, pour the milk slowly into the eggs. Add the flour and baking powder and beat until you have a smooth, runny batter.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35–38 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6. While the cake bakes, make the syrup. Heat the orange juice, sugar and tea bag in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 1 minute before removing from the heat.

7. While the cake is still warm, prick the surface with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cake, then set aside to cool completely.

8. To make the buttercream frosting, beat the butter in the stand mixer on high speed for 2 minutes until creamy. Add the icing sugar and salt and beat for a further 4–6 minutes until you have a pale, fluffy buttercream. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat for another minute until combined.

9. Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cake, using a palette knife to either smooth it over or to add some texture. Top with the remaining orange zest, white chocolate shavings, flaked almonds, and dried cornflowers, if using, before slicing up.