Unlike layer cakes, those baked in a loaf tin don’t require assembly and can be prepared in a single bowl, making them a simpler option. They also offer a denser texture that complements a single layer of frosting. There are endless flavour combinations for the humble loaf cake, with banana bread being the most popular, but Mary Berry enjoys another simple delight.
Sharing the recipe from her BBC series, Mary Berry’s Country House Secrets, the baking icon described it as “the perfect tea loaf”. This national classic boasts “plump fruit” throughout, with the quintessentially British taste of Earl Grey tea infused throughout.
The cake is a teatime favourite, and Wales has its own version known as bara brith, meaning ‘speckled bread’.
It’s a beautifully moist cake thanks to the dried fruit being soaked overnight in tea. Traditionally, the finished loaf is sliced up and lathered with butter to serve.
This simple bake is closely associated with the traditional tea rooms of Yorkshire, the county that is also home to the famous Yorkshire Tea.
Mary Berry’s tea loaf recipe
Ingredients
- 175g currants
- 175g sultanas
- 300ml strong hot Earl Grey tea
- 275g self-raising flour
- 225g light muscovado sugar
- One large free-range egg, beaten
- Butter, for greasing, plus extra to serve
Method
A 900g/2lb loaf tin is essential for baking the mixture. But there’s no need to grease it first, as Mary suggests that the best method is to soak the fruit overnight: “After that, it’s a quick stir-together job, and a couple of hours later, voila, the perfect tea loaf”, she said.
Weigh out the currants and sultanas in a bowl and pour over the hot tea. Stir, cover with a tea towel and leave to soak overnight for the liquid to absorb.
This will impart more of the tea flavour to the fruit. However, if you can’t wait until the following day, you can soak the fruit for a minimum of six hours instead—just be wary of how much liquid is left when you come to make the cake.
When the fruit has been soaking for ample time and you are ready to make the cake, preheat your oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 3½.
Next, grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
Sieve the flour into the bowl of soaked fruit, then add the sugar and egg. Mary notes: “If there is a little excess liquid, this is fine.”
Mix everything together thoroughly, then spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the top.
Bake for 1¾ hours, or until the cake is risen and firm to the touch. Check it after 1¼ hours to see how it is doing.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.
Turn out the cake and remove the paper. To serve, cut into fairly thick slices and spread with butter.