I sometimes joke that I moved to the United Kingdom purely because I’m such a tea fanatic. I really am, though. Last time I moved, my mother was there helping me pack up everything; when we got to the kitchen, she put her foot down: ‘Who needs this much tea?!’ she said, aghast at the boxes, tins, bags and packets of loose leaf tea and tea bags. I had them in all flavours and formats. What can I say, I like variety!
But tea isn’t just for drinking. It makes fragrant sponge cakes and I’ve even made raw cream tarts with rooibos tea. Now that spring is in the air I feel like making light, delicately flavoured cakes and desserts instead of heavy chocolate cakes. Not that I’m ever going to stop making chocolate cakes, of course.
If you can’t find coconut cream in the supermarket, you can buy a can of full-fat coconut milk instead, leave it in the fridge overnight and the following day, without shaking the can, open it up and scoop the fat of the coconut milk, which will have solidified at the top of the can. You absolutely need full-fat coconut milk for this; light coconut milk has had the fat removed from it, so it would never solidify in the same way.
Earl Grey ‘Honey’ Loaf Cake + Coconut Cream Glaze
Adapted from this recipe.
Makes one small loaf, or about ten slices
For the cake:
- 1 + heaped 1/2 cup (240g) plain flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 5 earl grey teabags
- 3 flax eggs (3 tbsp ground flaxseed + 9 tbsp warm water)
- 2 tbsp golden syrup or agave nectar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) vanilla soymilk
- 1/2 cup (125ml) coconut oil
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 7.5″ (19cm) loaf pan (tin). Set aside for now.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Empty 4 of the Earl Grey teabags into the bowl as well; the fifth one will be for the topping.
If you haven’t already, mix the flax eggs in a small bowl and set aside for a few minutes to let them gel; also melt the coconut oil if it’s solid (you can do this over a bowl of freshly boiled water).
Fold the wet ingredients – oil, golden syrup, soy milk and flax eggs – into the dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix as this can cause the batter to become lumpy and tough; simply incorporate the ingredients.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan (tin). Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out of the cake clean. Cool on a wire rack before releasing the cake from its pan.
For the coconut cream glaze:
- 1/2 cup (125ml) coconut cream
- 3 heaped tbsp confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla soymilk
Whisk together the ingredients in a bowl until combined and smooth. Start whisking slowly or risk getting powdered sugar all over yourself!
Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and sprinkle over the tea leaves from the remaining teabag.
About The Vegan Cookie Fairy
Clémence Moulaert (Clem) is the vegan baker and cook behind The Vegan Cookie Fairy. She became a vegan in March 2011, and soon after began experimenting with vegan baking to satisfy her sweet tooth. She tested her recipes on her friends, who started calling her the vegan cookie fairy—and so the blog was born. It reunites Clem’s greatest passions—food and writing. Clem is currently studying a postgraduate degree in Stirling, Scotland, where she lives with her cat and faithful companion of 9 years, Mali.
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this looks delicious! Just to confirm, is 2tbsp of agave nectar enough? looks kind of low, though I am always in search of healthier, low sugar vegan recipes. However, the last few times I cut the sugar content of cake recipes, I ended up with very dense cakes that hardly rise.
Hi! Yes, that’s right. I found that made the cake plenty sweet, especially with the coconut cream glaze on top. If you wish to make the cake a bit sweeter I’d suggest you can use up to 3 tbsp agave nectar but any more might make the batter too runny, so if you want to sweeten it even further add some stevia (just a little bit!) or some unrefined cane sugar. I hope this helps, have fun baking! (And do share your photos with us via Twitter or Instagram :) xoxo
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