I often bake this tea cake for our guests at Hargan’s Cottage and it’s always a winner. Lightly spiced and filled with fruit soaked in black tea, it’s just the thing for cool mornings or slow afternoons. Best served thickly sliced and slathered with butter.
The mix of dried fruits and ras-el-hanout gives it a beautiful warmth, and it keeps well for a few days (if it lasts that long). I love toasting the leftovers, just add butter and a quiet moment.
Recipe by Helen Goh
Images by Belinda Satterthwaite, The Shopkeeper
Ingredients
-
75g currants
-
75g raisins
-
75g dried figs, chopped
-
75g apricots, chopped
-
75g prunes, chopped
-
250ml hot black tea
-
225g self-raising flour
-
2 tsp ras-el-hanout
-
¼ tsp salt
-
150g brown sugar
-
1 egg, lightly beaten
-
Milk, if needed
-
Salted butter, to serve
Method
-
Combine all dried fruits in a bowl. Pour over hot tea, cover, and leave overnight to soak.
-
Preheat oven to 190°C (180°C fan). Line a 1L loaf tin with baking paper.
-
Sift flour, ras-el-hanout, and salt into a bowl. Add sugar, soaked fruit (with tea), and egg. Stir to combine. Add a splash of milk if too thick.
-
Spoon batter into the tin and bake for 50–55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
-
Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
-
Serve warm or cold with a generous spread of salted butter. Keeps well for 3 days or toast after that.
Leave a comment