Tuesday, July 22, 2008

#63 Fruit Tea Loaf

The third bit of stodge I made for the little gathering at mine for my birthday. Tea loaves are great and very Yorkshire, but I’d not made one before – it’s extremely easy, in fact, if you’ve never baked or have some terrible affliction, like feet for hands or something, then you should try this. People don’t eat this kind of stuff any more, so many don’t like dried fruit for some reason. They are better left in an air tight container for a few days before scoffing (if you can last that long – I couldn’t). Always serve your tea loaf with butter spread generously over it, or as they do in Yorkshire – though non-Yorkshire folk never seem to believe me – a slice of cheese. Sorry for the shit picture, folks.



To produce a squidgy ingot of loveliness of your own, start off by mixing 12 ounces of mixed fruit with 4 ounces of dark brown sugar. I like the soft, moist molasses sugar that you get in boxes best. Pour over half a pint of strained, well-stewed Indian tea, I used Assam. Leave this mixture overnight, so that the syrupy tea is absorbed by the fruit. Next day, mix in 8 ounces of self-raising flour and an egg. Pour the mixture into a lined 9 inch loaf tin and bake for one hour at 180°C, then down the temperature down to 160°C for a final half hour. Like all baking check with a larding needle or a knife toward the end of cooking, in case of funny temperatures in weird ovens like my fan one.

#63 Fruit Tea Loaf – 9/10. Cheap and easy and delicious! I also seem to have converted people who don’t like raisins with this one. The molasses sugar and the tea make the cake moist and rich. A perfect little gem of a cake.

5 comments:

Lee Gilligan said...

Right. I've never experienced any of the previous recipies so the aforementioned tea loaf was to pop my Grigsons cherry.
It did not disappoint I can tell you. Moist. Firm. Not too fruity. My only gripe was that it was over too quickly. I blame this on Neil for inviting too many people. A thumbs up despite suffering from a Mojito induced hangover from hell.

Lee Gilligan said...

Didn't realise we were awardig marks so I give this 8/10

Stuart Kinlough said...

I would never think of buying/making/eating a fruit cake as it is for really old people, but I have to say this was really good and the fruity taste and texture was spot on. Very pleasantly surprised.

Does a fruit cake like this last quite a long time, or do you have to eat that bad boy in a day a two?

Stuart Kinlough said...

Forget my question - just read your tea loaf blog again and got the answer!

Neil Buttery said...

I was still scoffing it a few days later!