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Genoa Cake

Tea-soaked Fruit Cake

Ingredients
  

For the Overnight Fruit Soak: 
  • 2 cups mixed dried fruits sultanas, raisins, currants, and chopped candied peel
  • 1 cup strong brewed hot Ceylon black tea
For the Cake Batter: 
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon powder
  • ½ tsp cardamom powder
  • ½ cup unsalted butter or ghee, at room temperature
  • ½ cup brown sugar or grated jaggery
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 grated zest of orange or lime
  • ½ cup raw cashew nuts split, for decoration
  • a pinch of salt.

How to make it
 

  1. Soak the fruit: Place the
  2. mixed dried fruits in a bowl and pour the hot, strong black tea over them. Stir well, cover, and leave to soak overnight at room temperature until the fruits absorb the liquid.
  3. Prepare for baking: Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper or an oiled banana leaf.
  4. Mix dry & wet bases: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. In a separate large bowl, cream the softened butter and brown sugar (or jaggery) together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange or lime zest.
  5. Combine and decorate: Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the wet batter, alternating with the tea-soaked fruits (including any remaining tea liquid at the bottom of the bowl). Mix gently until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top, and arrange the split cashew nuts carefully on top in a decorative circular pattern.
  6. Bake slow: Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.