Traditionally known as the “feast day of Saint David”, March 1 is a day of celebration to honour Wales as a whole.
There are so many recipes that are enjoyed to mark this national holiday, one of which is a fruity Welsh tea loaf known as Bara brith.
According to Visit Wales, the loaf is sometimes referred to as “speckled bread” and described as a “beautifully moist cake” packed with fruit that’s soaked overnight in tea.
One person that knows a thing or two about baking this classic loaf is the Head Chef of The Potted Lobster, Abersoch, Anna Evans, who oversees menu creation and produce sourcing at the restaurant on the picturesque Llyn Peninsula.
Sharing her recipe exclusively with Express.co.uk, she revealed exactly how to make her “warm sticky Bara brith cake”.
Method
Start by soaking the mixed fruit and early grey tea bag in 485ml of water, preferably overnight.
When it’s had plenty of time to soak, preheat the oven to 150C and add the prepared fruit mixture to a saucepan along with the water it was soaked in.
PrSet over medium heat before adding the vanilla essence, chopped dates, and golden syrup, then bring everything to a boil.
After this, remove the mixture from the heat and take a large, clean mixing bowl. Combine the butter and three different sugars by whisking them to a pale and fluffy consistency.
Gradually add in the eggs until everything is combined, then tip in the soaked fruit to the egg mixture. Fold in the plain flour and baking powder to complete the batter.
Ensure everything is combined with no lumps before pouring the batter into a prepared cake tin (loaf or rounded), and pop in the centre of the oven to cook for 60 minutes.
The temperature should remain at 150C throughout until the cake is cooked through.
