DRY INGREDIENTS:

170g cake flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

¾ tsp salt

2 black tea bags (cut open to release leaves) or about 5g of finely chopped loose black tea leaves

LIQUID INGREDIENTS:

135ml whole milk

100ml neutral oil such as canola or sunflower

7 egg yolks

50g sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

MERINGUE:

7 egg whites

½ tsp cream of tartar (optional)

140g sugar

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

9-inch aluminum tube pan with removable base (not non-stick)

Stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment

1. Place a rack in the lower-third of the oven and preheat to 170°C. Set aside your tube pan. Do not grease or line your pan.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift all dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside. In a large bowl, add all liquid ingredients and whisk to combine.
3. Add ⅓ of dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and whisk to combine until no lumps remain. Repeat in two additions. Set this mixture aside.
4. For the meringue, put egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, beat eggs on medium speed until frothy. With the mixer on, gradually add sugar by the spoonful then continue to beat until the meringue begins to get glossy and develops soft peaks. Lower the speed to medium-low and continue to beat until a stiff peak just forms. To check if you’re done, stop the mixer and lift a bit of the mixture with the whisk; the mixture should be firm but flop slightly at the tip. It’s easy to overmix at this stage so do not walk away from the mixer.
5. Add a small blob of the meringue mixture to the flour-yolk mixture. Whisk vigorously until combined. This will help lighten the mixture to make it easier for you to fold the rest of your meringue in.
6. Now, switch to a sturdy rubber or silicone spatula. Add a quarter of the meringue into the flour-yolk mixture and gently fold while avoiding deflation of the meringue as best you can. To gently fold, use your spatula to slice the mixture in the middle of the bowl and move the spatula from the bottom to the top of the bowl along the perimeter of the bowl. Imagine drawing a capital D as you’re doing this motion. Continue to fold until the meringue disappears into the batter and repeat in three additions until all the meringue is used up. Make sure no traces of unincorporated meringue are in the bottom of the bowl to avoid any white streaks in the baked cake.
7. Gently pour the mixture into the tube pan. To break any large air bubbles, lift pan about 6 inches above your work counter and drop the pan.
8. Bake for 40-45 mins. To test if the cake is done, a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately lift the pan about 6 inches above your work counter and drop the pan. This will limit the cake deflating as it rests. Place the pan upside-down on a wire rack and let the cake rest in the pan until it cools completely.
9. When cool, invert the pan right-side up, and run a small knife or flat palette knife around the perimeter of the pan as well as around the tube. Push up the removable base to release the cake from outer mould. Run a small knife between the cake and the pan base before removing the base from the cake. Slice using a serrated knife to avoid squashing the cake.