Food with Passion: Old Fashioned Irish Tea-Brack

This is a great old traditional Irish recipe but one I’ve not made in years.

This was one of my mothers absolute favourite cakes to eat and recently I had cause to revisit the recipe when I invited my two aunts for Lunch (her two beloved sisters) and I wanted to bake for each of them to takeaway as a gift!

I always adored the smell of this loaf baking, it’s better than any scented candle, oh boy was I reminded of that incredible smell when I baked two loaves for my aunts.

Delicious smeared with real Irish butter with a cup of tea and the great thing is, this loaf will last for up to two weeks, so it won’t go to waste.

Ingredients: (Makes 1 Loaf)

350g dried mixed fruit

300ml of cold tea

120g castor sugar

1 egg beaten

250g plain flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoons of mixed spice

Method:

 

1. Place the dried fruits in a large mixing bowl with the cold tea and leave to soak overnight. I cover mine with a clean tea towel.

 

2. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

 

3. In a large mixing bowl add the all of the dry ingredients, flour, mixed spice and baking powder and combine together. Add the sugar and beaten egg and mix together.

 

4. Then add in the tea soaked fruits and any remaining tea into the bowl and mix together well.

 

5. Tip into a greased 1 kg baking loaf tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for an hour.

 

6. Allow to cool before slicing.

I love old fashioned nostalgic recipes like this one.

They are so simple to make but are classic recipes that stand the test of time. I cannot express how incredible this cake smells as it bakes.

It’s so inviting and comforting.

When I baked this a few weeks back; it brought a smile to my face as I could hear my mother’s voice, exclaiming her excitement on arrival at mine; as she could smell tea brack baking.

It’s a memory I will treasure and one that I will continue to evoke for years to come. This went down a storm with my aunts too who both texted me to let me know how delicious it was!

Why not bake it for a loved one of yours?