Sultana Teacake

This recipe makes two fruit cakes.

500g sultanas
1 - 2 fruity teabags
250g butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
375g sugar
375g flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 170ºC. Grease and line the base of two 20cm cake tins.

Place sultanas and teabag in saucepan. Add water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain sultanas, discard teabag(s) and transfer to large bowl.
Stir in butter until melted and mix in vanilla.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with an electric beater until foamy and pale and gradually add the sugar, beating until very thick – the mixture should leave a 'trail' or a 'ribbon' when the beater is lifted.
Fold into sultanas with sifted flour and baking powder.
Spoon into tins and bake for 35-40 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool for a few minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
You can leave them plain, or ice with lemon icing by mixing icing sugar with lemon juice and a little melted butter until smooth.

Taken from New Zealand House & Garden

The New Bee's Knees

• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms
• 1/4 cup honey
• 6 tablespoons gin
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Mix hot water and dried lavender blossoms in bowl. Let steep 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup honey. Strain into another bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the honey syrup, gin, and lemon juice; strain into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into 2 chilled Martini glasses.

A bit of fragrance always clings

to the hand that gives roses.

~Chinese Proverb