Tea Loaf

Why tea loaf? The simple answer is that I really like it. Moist, moreish and suitable for any occasion. Easy to make, it also keeps well in an airtight container.

Having been fiddling with the recipe a bit I was eager to try it out and see what people thought. Therefore, having baked a loaf I left it cool, sliced it up and took it with me to the Meopham March. Needless to say, everyone really enjoyed it.

Sorry for only having a photo of a slice - I absentmindedly started to slice it before I photographed the whole loaf...Must remember I’m writing a blog!

Ingredients:

Wet:

2 mugs fruit (for example: raisins, chopped dates, candied peel etc)

½ mug caster sugar, ½ mug light muscovado sugar

125g butter

1 mug strong black tea

Splash of madeira

Dry:

2 mugs plain flour

1 ½  tsp mixed spice

half teaspoon salt

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

2lb loaf tin

Baking parchment to line tin

NB: 1 mug is 300mls

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Put the wet ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes remove from the heat and allow to cool. Careful not to let it cool too much as it does thicken up as it cool but you need to let it cool enough to burn your hands as you mix into the dry ingredients.

3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well, put into a lined loaf tin. 

4. Bake in the oven for up to 90 minutes at 160 degree C fan. A skewer should come out wet but clean (i.e. no mix stuck to it).

5. Turn out and allow to cool on a rack.