Tea Loaf Cake

I'm not a massive lover of Earl Grey tea in its purest form but when you put it in a cake, like this one, the bitterness subsides and you're just left with a hint of its floral loveliness. For a bit of a twist, I also added a little Cointreau but you can leave this out or swap it for rum or whisky instead.

The key is to leave the fruit to really soak up the liquid. I suggest overnight but as long as it has a minimum of around 2 hours you should be ok. My other top tip is to ensure that you really butter and well-line the tin so you have no trouble getting it out - my first attempt at this cake resulted in a less than satisfactory turn out! (Still tasted delicious though...)

Tea Loaf Cake

180g currants 

180g sultanas

1 orange, zest only 

300ml strong hot Earl Grey tea 

50ml Cointreau (triple sec/orange liqueur)

275g self-raising flour 

225g light muscovado sugar 

1 large free-range egg, beaten 

butter, for greasing, plus extra to serve

Put the currants, sultanas and orange zest in a bowl and pour over the hot tea followed by the Cointreau. Stir, cover and leave to soak overnight for the liquid to absorb. 

Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 3½. Grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin and line with non-stick baking paper. Add the flour, sugar and egg to the bowl of soaked fruit (if there is a little excess liquid this is fine) and mix thoroughly. 

Spoon into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for 1¾ - 2 hours, or until the cake is risen and just firm to the touch, but check it after 1¼ hours to see how it is doing. An inserted skewer should come out clean and if you listen to the cake there should be no bubbling or whistling.

Leave to cool in the tin for about 30 minutes. Turn out the cake and remove the paper. To serve, cut into fairly thick slices and spread with butter.