Chai Tea and Honey Cake

Cook Time 60 minutes

Servings 8-10

Ingredients

230g raw sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp Honey
1 egg

75g butter
3g bicarb soda
150g Chopped dates and prunes (Happy Fruit)
310ml chai tea (or tea of your choice) (amount after boiling)

225g plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Almond and Sultana Caramel:
200g honey
225g brown sugar
120g butter

Method

Preheat oven to 160 deg.

Spray cake tin with canola spray and line base with baking paper

Boil chai tea for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put dates and bicarb soda and butter in a large metal bowl. When tea is boiled measure out 310ml and pour over dates, butter and bicarb mix. Leave until its at room temperature at least 20mins.

While chai mix is cooling, beat sugar, honey, egg, vanilla for 5 minutes on speed 3 until white and light and creamy.  Combine dry ingredients together.

Pour date mix slowly into sugar mix on speed 1, until combined (2 minutes). Handful by handful, add the dry ingredients to this mix. Do not overbeat, mixer should be on for maximum of 2 minutes.

Pour into loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes, until springy and bounces back on touch and nice and brown all over.

Let cool for 10 minutes before releasing from tin.

Almond and Sultana Caramel:
Prepare a tray with some baking paper, scatter your own amount of sun muscats/sultanas, and almonds (or another roasted nut), across the tray.

Bring the ingredients to a rolling boil in a saucepan on the stove, until they are thick, and coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Quickly pour the caramel over the nut mix, and refridgerate.

You have a yummo sticky toffee, for use on top of any cake, or just to eat now. This is also great for holding seeds and nuts together to make your own muesli bars