Recipes

[UKinCanada]

Thought I would share my family's favourite fruitcake recipie - none of us like cherries, nuts, or candied peel in cakes (spend more time picking them out and being left with just raisins and a few crumbs!) - so this is what I cook in lieu of the dark fruit cake or Christmas Cake. I find the longer you leave the raisins soaking in the tea the better (maybe stating the obvious, but the "prepared" tea is just steeped tea bags and water - no mik/sugar).....and I do find that I have to cook it a bit longer than it says.......but enjoy!! The Tea/sugar glaze on the top is to die for, I warn you - gives it a nice finish. We mainly eat it cold, just like a "normal" cake.

Earl Grey Tea Loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups +2 tablespoons prepared Earl Grey Tea
¾ cup raisins
2 ½ cups All purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Dash black pepper
½ cup (1 stick)butter
6 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

Pour 2 cups of tea (reserve remaining tea) over raisins and set aside to soak.

In medium bowl sift together dry ingredients.

Cut in butter and blend thoroughly.

Add tea with raisins and stir until smooth.

Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes and remove loaf from pan.

Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining tea to icing sugar and drizzle over loaf.

Serve warm with butter.