 Daily rituals change, and the pace of life slows down by a good few notches, when dear old grandma comes for her annual week-long visit. There are cakes to be baked and (numerous) cups of tea to be made. Outings are limited because granny can no longer walk too far, but we do manage a visit to Vinnies (our favourite op shop); as well a lunch treat at IKEA (Swedish meatballs, of course), and a trip to the pharmacy in search of a walking stick and a new pair of comfy homyped sandals. Tea cake is most probably everybody's old favourite and I've been baking this recipe since I was a girl of about ten. The original recipe might have been in my 1970s edition of The Commonsense Cookery Book, but I have adapted it with time. TEA CAKE WITH VANILLA, CINNAMON & APPLE 1 large free range egg, separated 1/2 cup caster sugar 1/2 cup milk 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla powder 1 cup self-raising flour (I used a gluten-free mix from Aldi), sifted 1 small granny smith or gala apple, grated (optional) To finish: 1 dessertspoon soft butter, extra 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon vanilla-infused caster sugar, extra Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 20-cm sandwich tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. In a Pyrex bowl, beat the egg white until it begins to stiffen, then beat in the caster sugar a little at a time. Fold in the milk, melted butter, vanilla powder, and the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared sandwich tin and grate the apple evenly over the top of the cake (if using). Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Remove the tin from the oven and brush the top of the cake with the extra butter, then sprinkle over the cinnamon and caster sugar. Serves 8. Store the cake in an airtight container. Please note: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes. The dessertspoon of soft butter used on top of the cake equals a 15ml spoon. Forgive me if I don't linger too long this time, dear readers. I don't like leaving grandma (Peter's elderly mam) alone for too long. xo
17 Comments
5/3/2017 11:02:49 pm
Liz, I gather your tablespoon measure is 20mls as per an Australian measuring spoon. Are your cup measures 250mls?
Lizzy
5/3/2017 11:43:31 pm
Yes, Tandy, per the table on the right hand sidebar of my blog, I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in all of my recipes.
Simone Mason
6/3/2017 02:47:20 am
Some of those old fashioned recipes give measurements in cups, don't they, Lizzie. 6/3/2017 04:46:32 am
Granny is a lucky lady Liz! Beautiful baking as always. 6/3/2017 11:31:36 am
Always fun to have beloved visitors! And everyone would be pleased to be served this wonderful looking cake. Sounds like you're having a fun time -- enjoy!
Jenni shum
6/3/2017 03:32:04 pm
And this is just what I will make for morning tea at my workplace. Thank you for sharing! Jenni 6/3/2017 07:38:09 pm
How fortunate to have your (or Peter's) grandmother around. Both mine are gone and they were such interesting people. They both would have loved this cake.
Liz - I never even thought about the differences between Australian and our measures... lucky me, that I bought a set of measuring spoons that have the metric amounts, as well. Now I know that a dessert spoon, which is 15ml, is our measuring always learn so much from you!
Lizzy
16/3/2017 12:24:11 am
Simone, Jane, Gerlinde, Eva, John, Jenni, Christine, Lorraine, Gary, David, Amanda, Sherry, and Johanna, thank you so much for your kind words XX Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Hi. I'm Liz. I'm a writer, cook and traveller based in Canberra, Australia.
I love the process of writing and the stringing together of words to form a story borne from the wisp of an idea. I also greatly enjoy cooking and travelling. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes, postcards and morsels from my adventures, conversations with cookery writers and chefs, and news on food and cooking.  Search by topicNB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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