Happy Monday all!
Did you all have a fantastic weekend? Mine was pretty quiet but that was exactly what I needed.
After an extremely restful sleep, I woke up with an urge to do a bit of baking! I’m more of a cook that a baker – I find it is easier to overcome errors in cooking rather than baking, and I have a tendency to be a bit heavy-handed, which is not a good thing when you’re weighing flour.
I’m also a fan of simple baking, cake decorating is so not my thing. Therefore, what could be more straight-forward than a tea loaf?
My recipe is an adaptation of one of Nigella Lawson’s recipes – I’ve tried it several times and I’ve never failed!
You will need:
* A loaf tin
* 1 cup of black tea
* 8 ounces of mixed fruit (I use sultanas, currants and cherries)
* 8 ounces of self-raising flour
* 4 ounces of golden caster sugar
* 1 egg (organic, or if you’re lucky enough from your own chickens!)
* 2 tablespoons of marmalade
Optional:
A pinch of nutmeg and / or cinnamon
1. Grease the tin. You could line it, but I do it the old-fashioned way and grease it lightly with butter.
2. Preheat the oven to 180c or gas mark 4.
3. Place the fruit in a bowl and pour the tea over the top, so that all of the fruit is exposed to the tea.
4. If possible, soak overnight, or if you didn’t think ahead like me, then soak the fruit and go for a nice long dog walk.
5. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, egg and marmalade. If you’re going to add spices then do so now.
6. Once properly mixed, pour in the fruit with any leftover tea and stir through thoroughly.
7. Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and pop in the over for one hour.
8. Once it’s cooled slightly, take the loaf out of the tin and steal a slice whilst it’s still warm and slather with some lovely organic salted butter!
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
A xx
P.S. Homemade marmalade really does make a difference – we’re lucky enough that the lady down the road makes her own and it is delicious!
Abi in the Garden 