Cold tea cake is one of the easiest bakes there is. You soak dried fruit overnight in strong black tea, stir in flour and an egg the next day, and bake. The tea plumps up the fruit and gives the loaf its deep, moist, slightly malty flavour. It's a close cousin of Welsh bara brith, whose name means "speckled bread".
Cold tea cake recipe
Makes: 1 loaf (about 10 slices)
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus soaking overnight
Baking time: about 1 hour
Tin: 900g (2lb) loaf tin
Ingredients
- 200ml freshly boiled water
- 3 teaspoons of loose leaf black tea (or 4 teabags)
- 340g mixed dried fruit
- 110g soft light brown sugar
- 1 orange (juice and 1 teaspoon of grated zest)
- Butter, for greasing
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tsp demerara sugar, for the top
Method
- Make the tea. Pour the boiled water over the tea and leave it to brew for 5 minutes, until strong and dark. Strain it and leave to cool.
- Soak the fruit. Put the dried fruit, brown sugar, orange juice and zest in a bowl and pour over the cold tea. Stir, cover and leave to soak overnight.
- Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, gas 5). Grease the loaf tin and line it with baking paper.
- Mix. Stir the flour and beaten egg into the soaked fruit and its liquid until well combined.
- Bake. Spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth the top and sprinkle over the demerara sugar. Bake for about 1 hour, until a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.
- Cool. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then turn it out.
Serve in thick slices, on its own or spread with butter. Wrapped well, it keeps for about 4 to 5 days, and it's often even better on day two.
Which tea should I use?
A strong, malty black tea works best, such as an English breakfast style tea or an Assam. Loose leaf tea gives a fuller flavour than teabags. You can also experiment: Earl Grey adds a hint of citrus, and a smoky tea gives the cake a richer, deeper taste. Browse our loose leaf teas, or try our black teas.
Tips for the best tea cake
- Don't skip the overnight soak. It's what makes the fruit plump and the cake moist.
- Add some spice. A teaspoon of mixed spice with the flour makes it taste even more like a traditional tea loaf.
- Use your favourite fruit. Chopped dates, figs or apricots all work well in place of some of the mixed fruit.
New to loose leaf tea? Here's how to brew the perfect cup.
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