Lemon Cake with Green Tea Infusion Syrup and Orange Segments
Ingredients
Makes: 8 cakes
For the cake:
- 2 unwaxed mandarins, sliced with skin on
- 160g softened butter
- 160g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 200g plain flour, sifted
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 unwaxed lemon zest only
- 2 oranges, cut into segments
For the green tea syrup:
- 150g caster sugar
- 250ml strong green tea
- Juice of 2 and zest of one unwaxed lemon
- 2-3 cm of fresh ginger grated
Method
- To make the syrup, place the caster sugar, lemon zest, ginger and green tea in a saucepan, heat and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for about 10-12 minutes until a light syrup forms. Remove from the heat to cool down.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 165°C/gas 4. Brush the bases of the 8 x 12cm diameter mini cake tins with butter and flour them all to avoid the cakes to stick.
- Lay one slice of mandarin at the bottom centre of each tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk until very frothy and light. Fold in the plain flour, baking powder and lemon zest.
- Pour into the buttered tins and fill them to about two thirds. Bake for about 20 minutes. To check insert a skewer into the centre of the cake when it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and remove the tin and place on a cooling rack.
- While the cake is still warm, pour over the green tea syrup and add the orange segments as garnish.
