A traditional English Tea would be incomplete without gingerbread and fruitcake. The two are combined in this rich, fragrant cake, flavored with Earl Grey Tea, named after the 2nd Earl Grey. Just as movie stars lend their name to salad dressings today, English aristocrats often gave their names to the blends of tea they created. Earl Grey, flavored with flowers of bergamot, is also used to make a cordial which you can add to ginger brandy for glazing the fruitcake.

4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup candied pineapples, chopped
1 cup candied cherries, chopped
1/4 cup citron
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups sweet butter
3 cups water
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 cup ginger brandy
1/2 cup Earl Grey tea
1/2 cup molasses
Ginger Brandy and Earl Grey Cordial for glaze.

Sift 3 1/2 cups flour with the spices, soda and salt and set aside. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup flour with the fruits and nuts.
Cream the butter until light. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Combine the brandy, tea and molasses and add alternately with the flour mixture. Fold in the floured fruits/nuts and the and the egg whites. Spoon the batter into a 10 inch tube pan which has been lined with heavy brown paper and greased and floured well. Bake at 275 deg. for one hour. Lower temperature to 250 degrees and bake an additional 1 1/2 hrs or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Brush cooled cake with a mixture of Earl Grey Cordial or Ginger Brandy alone. Wrap the cake tightly and store it in a cool place for several days before serving in thin slices.