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Whiskey & Lapsang Souchong Fruit Cake With A Festive Vanilla Tea

This will be well worth the effort! The recipe makes a delicious moist, fruity cake with complimentary flavours of whisky intertwined with smoky Lapsang Souchong tea.  The gastronomical experience is further enhanced with smooth velvet and sweet notes of  Camellia’s Vanilla tea.

Ingredients

  • 200ml hot, strong Camellia’s Lapsang Souchong tea (2 tsp brewed for 5-10 minutes depending on the prefered strength. I brewed it for 10 minutes)
  • 3 tbsp whisky
  • 3 tbsp marmalade
  • 700g mixed dried fruit
  • *100g mixed peel
  • 100g glace cherries
  • 225g golden caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 225g plain flour
  • 1 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For cake drizzle:

  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 50ml hot Camellia’s Lapsang Souchong tea
  • 1 tbsp whisky

Method

Mix the hot tea, whisky and marmalade in a large bowl until the marmalade melts.  Stir in all of the dried fruit, peel and cherries, then cover and leave to soak overnight or longer.

Next day, heat oven to 160c/gas 3 and grease and double-line a 20cm round, deep cake tin with non-stick baking paper.  Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition, then fold in the flour and spices, followed by the lemon zest and soaked fruit.  Add any liquid that hasn’t been absorbed by the fruit, too.  Spoon into the prepared tin, level the top, then bake for 1.5 hours.  Turn the oven down to 140c/gas 1 and bake for another 1.5 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack in the tin.

While the cake is still warm, use the skewer to poke holes.  Dissolve the sugar in the hot tea, add the whisky, then spoon over the surface.  If you are making the cake ahead of time, feed it with a fresh swig of drizzle every week, but take care not to make the cake soggy.  Can be kep for a month well-wrapped in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.  If short on time, the cake can be made the same day of serving.

* If you have difficulties in finding fruit peel then you can make your own.  I used peel of 1 grapefruit, 1 orange and 1 lemon. Chop the peel into small cubes.  Bring water to boil, then add the peel.  Let it cook for approximately 1 hour.  Rinse under cold water.  For the glaze you will need 2 cups of water and 2 cups of granulated sugar.  Once the sugar has dissolved add the peel and cook for half hour.  Let it cool before adding it to the cake recipe.

How to brew Camellia’s Vanilla Tea:

For a 2 person’s tea pot, add 3 teaspoons of loose leaf tea and pour boiling hot water.  Brew 3-4 minutes.  You can enjoy this black or with milk.

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