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Farmhouse Tea Loaf

This is a nice and easy everyday farmhouse tea loaf that would look great on any kitchen table. It is perfect for filling up the cake tin and for feeding to guests along with a steaming hot pot of tea. A slice buttered is a simple tasty snack.
Course Afternoon tea, Snack, Tea time
Cuisine British
Keyword farmhouse tea bread, farmhouse tea loaf, tea bread, traditional British baking recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 12 slices
Author Leigh

Equipment

  • 1 Ib loaf pan
  • parchment paper
  • mixing bowl
  • mixing spoon
  • sieve
  • cooling rack
  • skewer or similar for testing cake is baked

Ingredients

  • 150 mililitre hot tea
  • 100 grams granulated or caster sugar
  • 100 grams mixed dried fruit
  • 2 tablespoons marmalade
  • 1 egg
  • 225 grams self-raising flour

Instructions

The evening before baking:

  • Add the hot tea, sugar, and dried fruit to a mixing bowl. Stir well and pop a cover over the bowl. Leave until the next day. As it sits you can give it a stir a few times but it's not necessary.
    150 mililitre hot tea, 100 grams granulated or caster sugar, 100 grams mixed dried fruit

Bake the tea loaf:

  • Preheat the oven to 180℃, 350℉, or gas mark 4.
  • Grease the loaf pan with margarine, butter, or a little oil, and then line the pan with parchment paper.
  • Stir the egg and marmalade into the soaked dried fruits in the mixing bowl.
    1 egg, 2 tablespoons marmalade
  • Sift the flour into the bowl.
    225 grams self-raising flour
  • Give it all a mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
  • Scoop the cake mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake on the middle oven shelf for 50-60 minutes until the tea loaf feels firm, is golden, and a skewer popped into the middle comes out clean.
  • Allow the tea loaf to rest in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and placing on to a cooling rack.
  • Once cooled, remove the parchment paper, and enjoy the tea loaf sliced and buttered.

Notes

  1. Store tea loaf in a cake tin for up to a week. Also wrap the cake in kitchen foil to keep it fresher for longer.
  2. Tea loafs are designed to be enjoyed sliced and buttered, along with a cup of tea or coffee. As the recipe contains no add-fat such as butter or margarine the tea loaf may dry out quicker compared to bakes with fat. 
  3. If the tea loaf slices become stale refresh in a warm oven for a few minutes.
  4. Or toast the tea loaf.
  5. Jam, marmalade, or honey are also very tasty spread on a slice of tea loaf.
  6. Switch the recipe up with different flavours of tea - try earl grey, ordinary tea, fruit teas, or herbal teas.
  7. If you'd like some warm spices add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, apple pie or pumpkin pie spice mix.