ICING:

350gr Plain smooth medium fat Cream Cheese
5ml Belinzona Instant Rooibos powder
20ml EZE Sweet

Method

Cake

1. 1. Add the Rooibos tea leaves (content of 3 tea bags) and the Instant Rooibos tea to the apples in a bowl.  Gently mix the apples and Rooibos with a spoon and set aside.
   2. Lightly grease a tube pan (±20cm). Line the bottom of your cake pan with baking paper.  Preheat the oven to 160°C.
   3. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl and set aside.
   4. Separate the egg whites from the yolks in two mixing bowls. Mix about half of the EZE sweet into the egg whites while the egg whites are beaten stiffly. Keep the stiffly beaten egg whites aside.
   5. Mix the egg yolks, softened butter and remaining EZE sweet in a large bowl in a stand mixer at a medium speed until creamy.
   6. Add the mixed dry ingredients to the egg yolk/butter mixture and mix together. As soon as the mixture comes together and becomes pretty uniformly crumbly, stop mixing. (must not become a cohesive mass).
   7. Add the Rooibos/apples and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the stiff mixture becomes a thick, creamy batter (almost like cookie dough) for about 2-3 minutes at low speed in a stand mixer.
   8. Gently fold the stiffly beaten egg whites and caramel essence into the batter with a spoon just until well mixed.
   9. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
   10. Bake the cake for 50 minutes at 160°C, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the cake is still not ready, bake for another 5-10 minutes.
   11. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Leave to cool completely. Turn onto cake plate and remove the baking paper.

   Icing 

   1. Mix Cream Cheese with EZE Sweet and Belinzona Instant Rooibos tea powder with a spoon to form a smooth paste.
   2. Spread the icing on top of the cake.
   3. Decorate with roasted flaked Almond Nuts.