If anything reminds me of being a kid it's tea cake. My Auntie Sally made the most moist, buttery cake ever, always with white icing and sprinkles. This is a little more grown up but just as much fun.

Myrtle Tea Cake

Makes: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 320g butter, grated and softened, plus extra for greasing
• 3 cups (660g) caster sugar
• 3 cups (450g) self-raising flour
• ½ cup (70g) custard powder
• 3 free-range eggs
• 1½ cups (375ml) milk
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon myrtle
• 2 tsp ground anise myrtle
• 2 tsp ground lemon myrtle
• Finely grated zest of 2 finger limes

Desert Lime Icing

• 280g (10oz) butter, melted
• 400g (14oz) pure icing sugar, sifted
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tsp desert lime powder or finely grated zest of 2 lemons

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C (315°F). Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) square cake tin.

Combine all ingredients, except those for the icing, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on low, then slowly increase speed to high. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes, scraping down bowl occassionally if needed, until batter is pale and fluffy.

Pour batter into tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until light golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut in half lengthwise.

For icing, mix butter and icing sugar in a small bowl until well combined. Stir in egg yolks and desert lime powder. Spread top and sides of one cake generously with icing, top with the other cake and spread with remaining icing.

Substitution Options

• Cinnamon myrtle → ground cinnamon
• Anise myrtle → fennel flowers
• Lemon myrtle → lemon zest
• Finger lime zest → lemon zest

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