Amanda Laird: Sultana, tea and ginger cake

Sultana, tea and ginger cake. Photo / Babiche Martens

Makes 1x 20 cm cake

1 cup sultanas
1 tsp Earl Grey tea leaves
water
250g butter, softened
2 cups caster sugar
3 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour
¼ cup sliced crystallised ginger pieces

Icing
2 cups sieved icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp butter, softened
boiling water

1 Preheat oven to 180C. Grease or line the cake tin.

2 Put the sultanas in a small saucepan with the tea. Cover with water, bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, then beat in the butter.

3 Beat the sugar and eggs until well combined then add the sultana mixture. Fold in the flour and ginger then spoon into the tin and bake for approximately 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

4 Make the icing by putting the icing sugar, vanilla, ginger and butter in a bowl. Mix then slowly pour in enough boiling water to be able to mix the icing to a spreadable consistency.