Sultana Cake

I absolutely love this dense, buttery rich sultana cake. Full of flavour from the tea soak and covered in crunchy almonds. A perfect treat for afternoon tea with friends. Keeps a few days when stored in an airtight container, though it never sits around long enough in my household. This cake is always devoured immediately after baking!

Enjoy.

10 slices

15 minutes

1 hr + 30mins

180ºC

Ingredients

375g sultanas
250ml hot brewed Earl Grey Tea
2 tbsp brandy

- optional
350g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter

- softened
3 eggs

- lightly beaten
310g plain, all purpose flour

- sieved
3 ½ tsp baking powder
100g blanched almonds

- or flaked

Instructions

Prepare tin and oven:
01 Preheat oven. Lightly grease a 20cm round spring-form tin. Line the base and sides with non stick baking paper.
Soak sultanas:
02 In a bowl place the sultanas with the hot tea and allow to soak for 5 minutes or so. Add the brandy now also if using it.
Make cake:
03 In a large bowl cream together the softened butter and sugar. Add all the soaked sultana mixture and stir to combine. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir gently together.
Assemble:
04 Spoon all the cake batter into the prepared tin and cover the top with almonds.
Bake:
05 Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hr 30 mins or until a skewer when inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.
Serve:
06 Enjoy large slices with your afternoon cup of tea.