綠茶香橙杯子蛋糕 Green Tea and Orange Cupcakes

茶在我們家佔有很重要的地位。

管它是晴是雨，是寒是暑。早上起牀，誰先走進厨房，誰便會把水灌進水壺去，按下電製。水沸後，自動把水冲進茶壺內，為每一位醒過來的家人或訪客預備一壺清醇香濃的熱茶。

Tea plays such an important role in our house.  Doesn’t matter if it’s rain or shine, summer or winter.  Whoever walks into the kitchen first thing in the morning will be the one who fills the kettle and brews a pot for the rest of the family, or for the visitors who happened to be staying with us at the time.

對我們來說，一天中的第一杯茶，就像能源傳進機器一樣。慢慢的熱動起來，才可以流暢的運行，然後方完全酥醒。

To us, the first cuppa is like putting oil in the engine, warming it up and making it start smoothly, so we can wake up properly.   

  

跟著便是「十一時的」。在英國，無論你是在寫樓工作，在地盤建築或在家做家務；準時十一時，水壳便會被按下去。

Then there’s the “elevenses”.  In the UK, whether someone works in an office, at a building site, or around the house, at 11 o’clock the kettle goes on.

下午茶大概三時左右開始。這時喝的茶多數會有些可口蛋糕伴著。

The afternoon tea time usually starts at around 3 o’clock. This is the time cakes are eaten alongside a nice cup of tea.

這些蛋糕就是我們母女ニ人同心合力的產品。

That’s exactly what we were doing the other day, making these cakes, my daughter and I. 

差不多同一時間，我們說同樣的話：「現在如果有蛋糕多好！」

就這樣，半小時之後，一盤香氣撲鼻的綠茶香橙杯子蛋糕從烤爐中端出來。我們的下午茶總算是完美了。

Almost at the same time, we said the same thing: “I wish we had some cakes here!”

So half an hour later, a tray of delicious-smelling green tea and orange cupcakes came out from the oven, and our afternoon tea was completed.

綠茶香橙杯子蛋糕

( 做 12 個 )

材料：

• 蛋中號 2 隻 約 129g   ( 先將蛋連殼放在量度器上錄取正確重量。舉例，如果 2 隻蛋是 129 g 的話，就用 等量 129 g 的牛油、自起粉和幼砂糖。)
• 無鹽牛油 129g + 6g ( 那 6g 是用來補回沾在茶葉上失去的牛油 )
• 自起粉 ( 低筋粉 ) self raising flour 129g
• 黄幼砂糖 129g
• 綠茶葉 9 茶匙 
• 橙皮半個刨末 ( 可用檸檬或青檸皮 )
• 雲尼拿香精 ½ 茶匙 

做法：

1. 把牛油放進小煲內用小火溶化後，加入綠茶葉，輕輕拌勻，繼續用小火慢慢把茶葉煮 5 分鐘之後，關火置一旁，待涼後用篩把牛油過瀘備用。預熱焗爐至 170 C / 338F / Gas 3，把紙杯蛋糕的杯子放進烤盤內。
2. 大碗中加入砂糖，傾進茶味牛油。 用手提打蛋器把糖和牛油一起打 2 分鐘至淺色。 然後雞蛋分兩次加進，打勻後，下雲尼拿香精全部拌勻。
3. 把自起粉過瀘加進蛋糊，用金屬大匙小力完全攪勻。加進香橙皮末，小心拌勻。
4. 用雪糕匙把粉漿盛進烤盤的紙杯內，置焗爐內烘 15 分鐘，取出用竹籤插入中央部份，抽出時沒黏物便熟了。小蛋糕放網架上，涼透了才作裝飾。

奶油糖霜：

材料：

• ( 1 份 margarine / butter 對 2 份 icing sugar 便成 1 份奶油糖霜，有需要的話可隨比例增多 )
• 3 oz / 75 g Stork margarine / butter ，6 oz / 150 g 霜糖 icing sugar 
• ½ 茶匙雲尼拿香精
• 少許綠色食物色素
• 唧袋和星型卿嘴

做法：

1. 首先用打蛋器把 margarine / butter 打至軟滑，下雲尼拿香精。
2. 然後逐些加入霜糖，拌至完全混合光滑。
3. 唧袋內放星型唧嘴。把唧袋站進一個闊口的瓶子裏，袋口向下反低，以方便把糖霜放進袋去，放完後，將糖霜往袋的下方推實，然後紥緊袋口，用星型唧嘴從小蛋糕外面至中間唧上旋紋便成，喜歡的話可隨意放上裝飭物便成。

Green Tea and Orange Cupcakes

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

•  2 medium sized eggs about 129g ( weigh the eggs with their shells, eg. if the eggs weight 129g, then use the same amount of unsalted butter, self raising flour and sugar )
• 129g + 6g unsalted butter ( that 6g butter is to replace the butter that has been soaked up by the tea leaves later)
• 129g self-raising flour
• 129g golden caster sugar
• 9 teaspoons loose leaf green tea 
• The zest of half an orange (or any other citrus fruit)
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1.  Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. When it has just melted, add the green tea leaves and stir. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, when cool, strain through a sieve and leave at one side.  Turn on the oven at 170C / 338F / Gas3，place cupcakes cases in baking tray.
2. Put sugar in a large bowl, pour the tea-infused butter in, use a hand held mixer to  whisk together the butter mixture and the sugar until pale. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork and then add a little at a time to the butter and sugar, whisking between each addition, until the eggs are well incorporated. Add the vanilla essence and stir in.
3.  Sieve the flour into the mixing bowl and fold into the mixture using a metal spoon, taking care not to knock any of the air out. Continue mixing until there are no traces of flour and it is all well mixed. Add the orange zest and stir well to distribute it evenly.
4. Put ice-cream scoopful of the cake mix into each cake case and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. They are ready when the edges of the cakes are golden, and the sponge bounces back when lightly pressed in the middle.  Take them out to put on a rack, decorate them when cool.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Icing:

Ingredients:

• ( 1 part margarine / butter to 2 part icing sugar, so just make up the quantity as required. )
• 3 oz / 75g Stock margarine or butter, 6 oz / 150g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Green food colouring
• Piping bag and a star shaped piping nozzle 

Method:

1. Whisk the margarine / butter with a hand held mixer till soft, add vanilla extract.
2. Add the icing sugar, a little at a time, carry on whisking until very smooth, add a bit of colouring if desired.
3. Insert a star shaped nozzle in the piping bag, fill the piping bag up by standing the bag inside a wide necked bottle, roll down the top of bag, spoon icing into the bag, squeeze down the content and tie the top. Then start pipping from outside of the cupcakes to the center, add decorations to your preference.

焗起時厨房裏飄出清新的香氣。那茶和果皮的芳香混和温暖的蛋糖甜味。這些蛋糕可口得很。

The refreshing taste of the tea mixed beautifully with the citrus flavour from the orange zest, and the lightly fruity fragrance combined with the heart-warming buttery smell to create a delicious aroma in the kitchen. These cupcakes were scrumptious.