Blood Orange and Rosemary Teacakes

Blood Orange and Rosemary Teacakes

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (155°C fan-forced) and set aside a 30-hole teacake pan.
2. Beat butter, sugar, zest, rosemary and vanilla until pale and creamy, then add eggs one by one, scraping the bowl with a spatula after each addition to ensure well combined.
3. Gently stir in dry ingredients until combined, taking care not to overmix, then stir in blood orange juice until batter is smooth and just combined.
4. Grease 30-hole teacake pan well with a cooking spray, oil or melted butter, and gently brush with a pastry brush to ensure all crevices are well greased. Lightly dust pan with sifted flour, then invert pan over the sink and tap gently to remove excess flour.
5. Divide mixture evenly between cake pan holes, then bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
6. While cakes are in the oven, make rosemary syrup.
7. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 8-10 minutes, then turn out onto a large plate or tray. Drizzle cakes with syrup, and allow to cool completely before glazing and serving.

Rosemary Syrup

1. Simmer juice, water, sugar, zest and rosemary in a medium saucepan until ingredients thicken into a syrup.
2. Remove rosemary and drizzle the warm syrup over the warm cake, allowing the syrup to soak in as the cake cools.

Blood Orange Glaze

1. Add blood orange juice to icing sugar and mix well until the frosting has a pouring consistency. It should be fluid but thick. If too thick, add a little more icing sugar and if too thin, add a little more juice.

To Serve

1. Drizzle glaze over each cake and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh rosemary. Alternatively, cakes can simply be served with a light dusting of sifted icing sugar.

Enjoy!