Start making this loaf cake the day before you’re baking. It gives the fruit time to absorb the tea which keeps the cake deliciously moist.
Ingredients
- 150g (5oz) dried mixed fruit
- 150ml (¼ pint) hot, strong black tea
- 200g (7oz) gluten-free self-raising flour
- 100g (3½oz) light soft brown sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 level tsp ground mixed spice
- 1 large egg
- 2tbsp sunflower oil
- Butter, to serve
- 500g (1lb) loaf tin, buttered and lined with a strip of baking parchment
Method
Place the fruit in a bowl and pour the hot tea over. Cover the bowl and leave the mixture overnight for the fruit to absorb some of the tea and for it to plump up.
Set the oven to gas mark 3 or 160°C.
Tip the flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar, orange zest and mixed spice.
Add the egg and sunflower oil to the fruit mixture, and tip this into the dry ingredients. Stir well to mix the ingredients to a soft-dropping consistency.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Place the tin in the centre of the oven. Bake the cake for about 1 hr, or until it has risen and feels just firm to the touch in the centre.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for about 10 mins. Turn it out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve the cake sliced and spread with butter. If you want to freeze it,wrap the cold cake in a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 1 month. Allow the cake to defrost completely before serving.
