Limey Tea With Cakelets and Pimms

Ah, summer in Virginia. Sunshiney, sticky, thunderstormy, hot summer in the northern part of the South. While I normally don't embrace the fact that yes, we ARE in the south, albeit at its northerly tip, there are a few southy things I can get behind; cocktails at 2:00 in the afternoon, for example. Last Saturday was the inaugural meeting of Teatime Knitting at my friend Wendy's house. (For those that have never met me, or read my blog, or know someone who knows me, I have been known to knit, on occasion.) As the name suggests, we get together and craft whilst taking afternoon tea. Because Matt and Wendy are awesome entertainers, and Matt is a stellar cook, Saturday's host of delights included lime tea cakelets and Pimm's.

For anyone who has not had a cocktail of Pimm's and lemonade, I say this to you: Go out now and lock that down. This is the perfect drink for a hot Saturday afternoon in the summertime. Mix 1 part Pimm's with 2-3 parts lemonade, add a little soda water for sparkle, if you wish, and garnish with slices of lemon. Lawd a' mercy, that's good!


Now, on to the cakelets. Lime is one of my favorite flavors, and while I wouldn't normally pair it with an infusion of Earl Gray, it worked surprisingly well in these. Matt used a sweetheart-rose shaped muffin tin to make them, and dusted the tops with confectioners sugar, resulting in the proshest little cakes I've ever seen. I'm seriously contemplating one of these tins, now.

Lime Tea Cakelets

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. Earl Grey tea leaves, steeped in 3/4 cup hot milk for 10-15 minutes
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and grated zest of 2 limes
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Directions

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Position rack in lower thrid of oven and preheat to 325F. Butter and flour wells of a swirl cake pan; tap out excess flour. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside. Pour milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Press liquid from tea leaves; discard leaves. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes; stop mixer and scrape bowl occasionally. Add eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. On very low speed, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk and ending with flour; blend each addition until just incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally. Fill wells in pan a little more than halfway. Bake until cakes spring back when touched and pull away from sides of pan, 10-12 minutse. Transfer to a cooling rack, cool to the touch and remove cakes from pan. Repeat with remaining batter. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serves 12

Remember ladies, pinkies out and bottoms up!