I am a huge fan of Benjamina Ebuehi, she has a great way of adding unusual flavours to her bakes. She often makes use of savoury ingredients like tahini and miso, and her latest book A good day to bake, also has chapters using interesting teas and herbs. This is my veganised version of her earl grey and white chocolate traybake. The cake is delicious, soft and moist. The earl grey adds a lovely floral note that works perfectly with citrusy orange.
Earl grey orange cake – served 6 – 8
For the cake:
3 x earl grey teabags
2.5 dl/ 250 ml plant based milk + extra
zest of 2 large oranges
4 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
100 g sugar
0.8 dl/ 80 ml oil
260 g flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
a good pinch of salt
For the syrup:
Juice of an orange
30 g sugar
1 x earl grey tea bag
For the frosting:
175 g vegan butter
130 g icing sugar
1/4 tsp salt
120 g vegan white chocolate, melted
crushed pistachios, orange zest and edible flowers to serve
Preheat your oven to 165 degrees c. and grease and line a 22 – 23cm loose bottomed round baking tin.
In a saucepan add the milk, teabags and vanilla. Bring to a low simmer and allow to bubble away slowly for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Squeeze out and remove the tea bags. Measure the remaining milk and make up to 2.5dl/ 250 ml with a little extra milk if necessary. Add to a small bowl and lightly whisk together with the orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, sugar and oil.
In a separate larger bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the milk mixture and quickly whisk together until just combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared ban and bake in the oven for 40 – 45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean
Meanwhile make the syrup. Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and leave for one minute before removing from the heat to infuse.
Once the cake is cooked, prick it all over with a tooth pick and pour over the syrup while the cake is still warm. Allow to cool completely.
To make the frosting, whip the butter until soft and creamy. Add the icing sugar and beat for 5 minutes until you have a pale and fluffy frosting. Pour in the melted white chocolate and add the salt. Mix for another minute before spreading over the cake.
Decorate with crushed pistachios, orange zest and edible flowers
A Brit in Helsinki 
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