Care for an afternoon tea?

One of my favorite afternoon past times in UK is enjoying a cuppa with nice scones(got to have it with Cornish clotted cream), muffins or cakes.
Even there is a tea council that defines what afternoon tea is all about. More precisely about tea customs. Therefore here's a piece of British culture that I like to share with you all back home.

http://www.tea.co.uk/index.php?pgId=56

I decided to bake apricot and almond cake to go with Earl Grey tea. Anyone care for an afternoon tea with a lady? :-)



Apricot and almond cake
Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 100gm dried apricots
• 30gm of almond flakes
  
• 100gm butter
• 100gm caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100gm self raising flour
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• baking paper
  

1. Place apricot in a sauce pan and covered with water, bring to a simmer slowly heat for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let it cool in the liquid, drained.
   
2. Whisk butter and sugar till creamy. Beat eggs lightly, and pour a little by little into the butter mix and whisk until finish. Note: Add a little flour everytime you add in eggs so that the mixture don't curdle.
3. Use a spatula to fold in the remaining flour and essence vanilla. Mixed well
   
4. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the baking paper to line the 4x8inches cake tin.
5. Pour the mixture into the cake tin. Then top the cake with the dried apricots and almond.
6. Cover with tin foil over the cake and bake for 20mins, this is to avoid the apricots from getting burnt. Then remove the tin foil and continue to bake for additional 25minutes.
7. Remove from oven and cool for 10minutes or so.
8. Serve with a pot of earl grey or your favorite tea.

I treasure my tea time :-)