Earl Grey-Orange Marmalade Tea Cake

I’m an avid coffee drinker and by extension, a lover of tea cakes. Tea cakes are simply flavored, barely sweetened, and dressed with a light glaze or unassuming sprinkle of powdered sugar.  Depending on where you live, a tea cake can mean different things. In England, tea cakes are light yeasted breads with dried fruit and is served toasted and with sweet butter. In America, tea cakes are small cakes and in Asia and Australia, tea cakes are sponge cakes. In theory, I understand why most tea cakes are dry and spongy but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. This recipe is adapted from  the Tartine cookbook, who in turn adapted it from Flo Braker’s The Simple Art of Perfect Baking. Thanks to a copious amount of almond paste, this cake is dense, but moist and flavorful enough to eat alone with a cup of tea. No butter, no jelly, no clotted cream. That, my friends, is the epitome of a good tea cake. But don’t take my word for it…

 

Almond Tea Cake with Earl Grey Tea and Orange Marmalade

(adapted from Tartine)

Makes three 2-pound loaves

1 lb. 5 oz. almond paste
15 g Earl Grey tea (loose leaf, not tea bags)
1 lb. 5 oz. granulated sugar
1 lb. 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
5 grams salt
15 eggs
1 ½ t. baking powder
10 oz. all-purpose flour
12 oz. orange marmalade, finely chopped

Cream almond paste and tea leaves on low speed until the paste is smooth. Add the sugar gradually, in a slow and steady stream, and continue blending on low speed. Add the salt and butter and blend on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down as needed. Add the eggs in four additions, continuing to mix on medium speed and scraping down as needed. Sift the flour and baking powder. Stir in the flour in two additions, scraping down as needed. Fold in the orange marmalade by hand and portion the batter into greased and lined loaf pans. Bake at 350F (or 325F in convection oven) for 40 minutes. The cake should be deep golden brown and spring back when lightly touched in the center. Cool for 20 minutes before unmolding and serve at room temperature. This cake will keep well wrapped at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for two weeks.

 

NOTES for SUCCESS:

• Use fresh almond paste and incorporate it into the butter completely before adding the eggs.
• This cake is very fragile when warm so cool completely before slicing.