Old Fashioned Fruity Tea Loaf

Prep Time: 0:15
Cook Time: 1:00
Serves: 6

Ingredients / Shopping List

450g raisins

125g soft brown sugar

250ml cup of tea without milk

1 egg

50g chopped walnuts

50g chopped glace cherries

500g SR flour

2 tablespoon orange marmalade

Prep to Cook: saucepan, wooden spoon, kettle, mug, tea bag, mixing bowl, spatula, loaf tin, parchment paper

Oven: 170ºC or Gas Mark 3

Prep: Get out mixing bowl chopping board and knife, wooden spoon, large loaf style tin

Line the base and sided of the tin with non-stick parchment paper – difficult but worth it Prep the fruit: in advance or preferably evening before:
Soak raisins and sugar overnight in the cold tea!

2.  Prep the cake:

Bash the walnuts in a polythene bag with a rolling pin and put into a mixing bowl

Chop up the glace cherries and add them to the walnuts

Add the egg

Add the SR flour

Tip in the soaked raisins

Add the tablespoons marmalade

Beat the whole mixture with a wooden spoon

3. Prep the loaf:

Pour into the cake tin

Cook at 170ºC or Gas 3 for 1 hour

Allow to cool in the tin

Prep to eat:

Slice thinly and butter!

Check it out!

Old fashioned fruity tea loaf is packed with energy and goodness for active people yet it is has no added fat.  Shop for it then make it when you feel in the mood.  Soaking the fruit in tea makes you feel very country kitchen and worth the effort.  Cool vintage recipe.

This is fat free and therefore buttering it is OK.  This makes a great home-cook present as you can make it in advance and wrap it to look special.

Recipe Science

Cooks Know How: You will have developed your cooking skill by thinking about shopping for this in advance.  Planning is an important part of cooking.  You will find the simple ‘prep and mix’ skills worth the effort.  The tea loaf keeps and can be used in packed lunch boxes.

Making this tea loaf is like being someone’s’ favourite friend, it is always worth it.  The tea is tradition at its best as the tannins in the tea swell the fruit and add a distinct flavour.  You will enjoy the ingredients prep, bashing the walnuts, chopping the cherries and loading the loaf tin.  Lining the cake tin is sometimes tricky but rather necessary if the cooked cake crust is to be moist after cooking.  You could look for a good non-stick tin or a silicone loaf baker. It is always nice to add to your cooking equipment.  This loaf gets better with keeping so plan ahead – trips to the park, family events or friends over are all good reasons to have an early cooking session and reap the rewards later.