Story: Lemongrass Tea Cake
Episode: 3
Presenter: Caroline Taylor
Air Date: 14th September 2025
Caroline shares her recipe of a delicious Lemongrass Tea Cake.
Ingredients
- 5 stalks of lemongrass, finely chopped (save 1 stalk for the syrup)
- 100 g caster sugar (split into two bowls)
- 4 eggs
- 150 g butter, softened
- 125 g desiccated coconut
- 125 g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup caster sugar for syrup
- 3/4 cup water for syrup
Method
- Grease a 22cm spring-form pan and preheat the oven to 170 C
- In a food processor or blender, blitz the sugar and chopped lemongrass until the sugar is moist, fragrant and a light shade of green. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs to the lemongrass mix and beat using a hand-mixer till combined. Add the butter and coconut and beat again. The mixture might appear grainy and curdled, this will get sorted out when you add the flour.
- Add the flour and baking powder and fold gently to combine. The batter will be thick and grainy because of the coconut.
- Tip into the prepared cake tin and spread the batter out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes and check with a toothpick. If it comes out dry it is done.
- While the cakes baking, prepare the syrup by bringing the sugar, water and 1 stalk of chopped lemongrass to the boil. Once sugar has dissolved, simmer for a couple of minutes and then leave to steep, so as much of the fragrant lemongrass flavour will set in.
- Once cake is cooked, poke holes with a fine skewer and slowly add the syrup, bit by bit so it fully absorbs. Enjoy immediately with creme fraiche or double cream!
