In this article
My English friend Margaret made her first tea loaf for me on a grey afternoon, and when she told me there was no butter in it at all, I said it would be as dry as a cracker. She cut me a thick slice, spread butter right over it and handed it to me. That is where the butter goes, she said. On top. The British tea loaf is one of the oldest and plainest cakes in the country, made in kitchens across the north of England, Wales and Scotland, and almost every family has its own. The secret is in the name: the dried fruit soaks overnight in strong black tea with brown sugar, and by morning it is fat and soft and most of the tea has gone into it.
That overnight soak is the answer to everything people ask about this loaf. It is why the cake can do without butter, because the swollen fruit keeps the crumb moist. It is why the loaf is so dark and rich, because the tea and sugar color it all the way through. And it is why it keeps for a week, because the fruit slowly gives back its moisture to the cake as it sits. Here is why the fruit soaks overnight and how to keep the loaf moist for a week, the way Margaret does it.
Why this tea loaf works
- Fruit soaked in tea. Dried fruit soaks up the tea and swells, so it does not steal moisture from the cake as it bakes.
- Brown sugar dissolved in the soak. It turns into a dark syrup that colors and sweetens the loaf all the way through.
- No butter, no creaming. With all the moisture already in the fruit, the batter is just stirred together in the soaking bowl.
- A low, slow bake. A moderate oven gives the dense batter time to cook through the middle without the outside drying out.
- A day of rest. Wrapped and left alone, the loaf turns stickier and easier to slice on the second day.
Ingredients
Makes one 2 pound loaf (a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan), about 12 thick slices. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the overnight soak
- 1 1/4 cups strong hot black tea, made with 2 tea bags (300ml)
- 1 cup raisins (150g)
- 1 cup golden sultanas or golden raisins (150g)
- 1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel (40g), optional
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (150g)
For the loaf
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cups self-rising flour (250g), or 2 cups all-purpose flour with 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon milk, if needed
To serve
- Soft salted butter
Ordinary black breakfast tea is what British cooks use. Make it strong and let the bags steep for a few minutes before you take them out. Any mix of dried fruit works, as long as the total is about 2 1/4 cups.
How to make tea loaf
The night before
- Put the raisins, sultanas, peel and brown sugar in a large bowl. Pour the hot tea over them and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Cover the bowl with a plate or a clean towel and leave it on the counter overnight, or for at least 8 hours. The fruit will be plump and most of the tea absorbed.
Baking day
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees (160°C). Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment that hangs over the long sides.
- Stir the beaten egg into the soaked fruit and its liquid.
- Add the flour and the spice and fold everything together with a spoon until there are no dry streaks. The batter should be thick and drop slowly off the spoon; if it is stiff, stir in the milk.
- Scrape the batter into the pan and level the top.
- Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the loaf is dark brown, firm on top and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean. If the top darkens too quickly, lay a sheet of foil over it for the last 20 minutes.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out with the parchment and cool it completely on a rack.
- Wrap the cold loaf in parchment and then in foil and leave it for a day before slicing. Serve in thick slices spread with butter.
Tips that make the difference
- Do not skip the overnight soak. Four hours will do in a pinch, but the fruit will be firmer and the loaf a little drier.
- Use the soaking liquid too. Everything in the bowl goes into the batter; it is the moisture in the cake.
- Line the pan. The sugary batter likes to stick, and the parchment lets you lift the loaf out whole.
- Slice with a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion; a heavy press squashes the fruit.
- Spread the butter on cold slices, thick enough to see. That is the way it is eaten in Britain.
Variations
- Welsh style. Use 1/2 teaspoon more spice and add a spoonful of orange marmalade to the soak.
- Cherry and almond. Swap the peel for chopped candied cherries and add a few drops of almond extract.
- Date and walnut. Replace half the raisins with chopped dates and fold in a handful of walnuts.
- Toasted. Slice the loaf on day three or four, toast it lightly and butter it hot.
Storage and make-ahead
Wrapped in parchment and foil, the tea loaf keeps at room temperature for up to a week and gets moister every day as the fruit gives back its syrup.
Keep it away from the refrigerator, which dries the crumb.
To freeze, wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, still wrapped.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the fruit soak overnight?
So the dried fruit can drink up the tea and sugar. Plump fruit keeps the cake moist without butter and gives the loaf its dark color and rich taste.
Can I use green or herbal tea?
Strong black tea is traditional. Earl Grey gives a lovely light citrus note. Herbal teas are too weak to color and flavor the loaf.
Why is my loaf dry?
The fruit was not soaked long enough, the loaf baked too long, or it was cut while warm. Soak overnight, start checking at 60 minutes and wait a day before slicing.
Does it need butter?
Not in the cake. The butter goes on each slice when you serve it, and that is the whole point.
Bake it a day before you need it, wrap it up, and put the kettle on when you cut the first slice.
British Tea Loaf (Fruit Soaked Overnight in Tea, No Butter in the Cake)
A traditional British tea loaf: raisins and sultanas soaked overnight in strong black tea with brown sugar, stirred together with an egg, flour and spice, and baked into a dark, moist fruit loaf that is sliced and buttered.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups strong hot black tea, made with 2 tea bags
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup golden sultanas or golden raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel (40g), optional
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cups self-rising flour (250g), or 2 cups all-purpose flour with 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon milk, if needed
- Soft salted butter
Instructions
- Put the raisins, sultanas, peel and brown sugar in a large bowl. Pour the hot tea over them and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Cover the bowl with a plate or a clean towel and leave it on the counter overnight, or for at least 8 hours. The fruit will be plump and most of the tea absorbed.
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees (160°C). Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment that hangs over the long sides.
- Stir the beaten egg into the soaked fruit and its liquid.
- Add the flour and the spice and fold everything together with a spoon until there are no dry streaks. The batter should be thick and drop slowly off the spoon; if it is stiff, stir in the milk.
- Scrape the batter into the pan and level the top.
- Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the loaf is dark brown, firm on top and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean. If the top darkens too quickly, lay a sheet of foil over it for the last 20 minutes.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out with the parchment and cool it completely on a rack.
- Wrap the cold loaf in parchment and then in foil and leave it for a day before slicing. Serve in thick slices spread with butter.
