I think one of the best things about food is that it always brings people together. Whether it's eating to celebrate an occasion, sharing new food experiences with friends and family, discussing likes and dislikes, chatting about the new restaurant or cafe discovery with workmates or creating food traditions and memories with those you love - food remains a constant presence. Whilst on holidays recently I was reminded of a beautiful Julia Child quote "there is no sincerer love than the love of food". For me that is so true. I know some people claim they only eat to live but to me life is so much more worthwhile when you live to eat! In my little royal family we have an amusing food related story that pops up over and over. It is all about a tea cake. A tea cake that apparently exists but which I have never seen, smelled or tasted. It is a mythical tea cake that my partner claims to make. He claims that it is the best tea cake in the world. He made it with his nana as a child apparently and although I have repeatedly asked him to recreate it over the years I am still waiting.

You don’t have to worry because I have created this delicious version which uses some Greek yoghurt - not traditional but gorgeous all the same. To finish it off with a flurry, there is a heavenly passionfruit icing on board, but you can feel free to just give it a dust with icing sugar if you prefer.

As we may have covered, baking in your Combi Steam is fabulous. The ability to control whether you do, or don’t, want a little bit of moisture can be a game changer. I generally find that when adapting a recipe for a cake I drop the temperature (the Fan Forced suggestion) by at least 20°C and use the same cooking time as recommended, but I do check it about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time to just monitor how it’s going.

In a V-ZUG Combi-Steam (or the regular Combair oven) the Hot Air Humid is great for cake baking as it holds all the moisture in the oven so it helps to create a moist crumb inside your cake. For those of you with other brands I would use your Combination Steam function here but keep the Steam to the lowest setting - usually 10% if you can. You don’t need much for baking but a little bit does help. We’re looking for that perfect texture to sit alongside your favourite cup of tea.I hope you enjoy baking it. One day I may even get to share with you the recipe for the mythical tea cake but I wouldn't hold your breath!

Passionfruit Tea Cake

Ingredients
180g butter (soft)
150g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 XL eggs (at room temp)
1/2 cup milk (at room temp)
1/4 cup Greek yoghurt (at room temp)
185g self raising flour
40g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing: 100g softened unsalted butter, 200g pure icing sugar, pulp and seeds of 3 passionfruit

To Make:

1. Grease 20cm spring form cake pan and line with baking paper on the bottom and around the sides.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with electric beaters until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with the electric beaters between each addition.

3. Add half the milk and half the flour and beat then add the remaining milk and flour and the yoghurt and continue beating until well combined and smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Gently smooth the top with the spatula.

5. Select Hot Air Humid (or Combination Steam) on your Combi Steam oven. For variable Steam set to 10% or low. Set the temperature to 170°C. Allow to pre-heat.

6. Once pre-heated place the cake onto a rack in the centre bottom of the oven. Set the bell timer for 40 minutes.

7. When the bell timer rings press it the bell to stop the sound. Check the cake with a skewer or sharp knife and make sure that it comes out clean. If any batter is on the skewer continue cooking for a few minutes and recheck.

8. Remove from the oven and let stand in the tin for 5 minutes before removing carefully and placing onto a cake rack. If icing, leave to cool completely.

9. To make the icing beat the softened butter until very pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat until combined. Fold through 1/2 of the passionfruit.

10. Spread the icing on top of the cake, top with the remaining passionfruit and serve.

Tips:
*butter can be softened and milk/eggs/yoghurt brought to room temp by placing in the CombiSteam on the Steam setting at 30°C for around 10 mins.
*butter can be melted in the CombiSteam using the Steam setting at 50-60 degrees.

Chin chin darlings. Enjoy!

Happy CombiSteaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x