TEA FRUIT LOAF

Ladies and gentlemen: my humble tea fruit loaf (or here actually more a cake), dressed up for Christmas. An absolute delight, and yes, I’m fully recommending this very English recipe.
Try it any time of the year, because apart from a bit of marinating, it’s as simple as ABC and utterly delicious.
Truly divine.

Ingredients

For marinating

75 g golden sultanas
75 g dried cranberries
75 g jumbo raisins
350 ml very strong cold tea
(at least 3 tea bags, one of them Earl Grey)

For the batter

5 teaspoons brown sugar
50 g mixed peel
275 g spelt flour (mąka orkiszowa)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

Directions

Step 1 Marinating
Put the dried fruit (golden sultanas, dried cranberries, and jumbo raisins) into a non-metallic bowl.
Pour over the cold, very strong tea.
Leave to marinate overnight.

If you forget:
Bring the fruit and tea to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then leave to cool completely.

Step 2  Preparation
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
Grease and line a 900 g loaf tin with baking parchment.

Step 3 Mixing & Baking
Add the brown sugar, egg, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and mixed peel (if using) to the marinated fruit.
Stir briefly, do not overmix.
Pour into the tin and bake for 1–1½ hours, until a skewer comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing.