Limitless Luxe Recipes

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper, making sure it hangs over the edge slightly so you can easily lift the cake out later.


2. Warm the sage leaves together with the milk until just simmering. Don’t let it boil — when it begins to steam a little remove from the heat and allow the milk to infuse until completely cool. The longer you leave the sage leaves in the milk the stronger the flavour will be!


3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the whisk attachment fitted, beat the sugar, olive oil and eggs together on a low speed until just combined. Add in the vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk briefly once more.


4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.


5. Fold half of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula, using a figure of eight motion to ensure everything is fully combined throughout. Then fold in 40ml the infused cooled milk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients, and finish with another 40ml milk. Set the remaining milk aside for the glaze later.


6. Fold through 30g pine nuts, and pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until cooked through — check the cake about 40 minutes into baking and if you feel like it’s browning too quickly, cover it very carefully with a loose foil tent for the last 10 minutes.


7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.


8. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and pour in about half of the remaining milk. Whisk together until smooth, and gradually add a little more milk until you reach the consistency that you like. Less liquid makes for a thicker, more stark white glaze, and more liquid will make it thinner.


9. When the cake has completely cooled, pour over the glaze with a spoon, allowing it to drip generously over the edges. Scatter over a few small, fresh sage leaves and a handful of toasted pine nuts. Enjoy with a warm drink and your WoodWick® Magnolia Birch candle burning nearby!