Preserve Company Christmas Tea Cake

This lovely layered holiday cake is perfect for a festive tea party featuring our Handmade Raspberry with Champagne Preserves and Loose Leaf Christmas Tea.  Topped with fluffy tea-infused icing and garnished with frosted cranberries and rosemary it's as tasty as it is pretty! 

(Thank you to our talented baker, Adrienne, for creating this amazing recipe)

 6” layered cake

Cake:
1 cup Christmas Tea infused milk
¼ cup sour cream
2 ¼ cup flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 ½ cup white sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
4 eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla

Christmas Tea simple syrup:
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
2 tsp Christmas Tea

Frosting:
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup shortening
4 cup sifted icing sugar
2 Tbsp Christmas Tea simple syrup
1-2 Tbsp milk

250 ml jar of Raspberry with Champagne Preserves

Directions:
- To make the Christmas tea infused milk, heat up the milk and 2 tsp of Christmas tea on the stove. Once almost at a simmer, remove from heat, and steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and set aside to cool.

- To make the Christmas tea simple syrup, bring the sugar, water, and tea to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, strain through a fine mesh strainer, and set aside to cool.

- Preheat oven to 350°, and line 3 6” pans with parchment paper.

 - In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a bowl and hand mixer) sift together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running, add in the cubed butter one piece at a time until combined. It will look a little like wet sand. Add in eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is combined before adding another. Stir in the vanilla and sour cream. Slowly pour in the tea infused milk until its all combined and smooth. Divide batter between the 3 parchment lined pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cakes for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans and cool completely. Once cooled, cut the top of the cake layers off to make sure that they are smooth for when you assemble the cake.

- To make the icing, in a bowl of a stand mixer (or a bowl and a hand mixer) beat the unsalted butter, shortening, and Christmas tea syrup until light and fluffy. Add in icing sugar one cup at a time, beating after each cup. Add in milk until you get a light and fluffy consistency. You want it thin enough to spread, but also thick enough to keep its shape.

- To assemble cake, place on layer of cake on either a cake board or a cake stand/plate. Pipe a small border of icing around the edge of the cake. Fill in the border with half the jar of Raspberry with Champagne Preserves. Place the next cake layer on top. Repeat the previous step on this cake layer. Place the final cake layer on top. Spread remaining frosting on the top and sides on the cake. There may be a little bit of frosting left depending on how much you want on the sides of the cake. Decorate with frosted cranberries.