Irish Tea Cake Dried Fruit (Print Version)

Moist, subtly sweet loaf infused with tea, studded with plump dried fruit for a comforting treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dried Fruit

01 - 7 oz mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants, chopped dried apricots)
02 - 1 cup strong black tea, hot

→ Cake Batter

03 - ½ cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
06 - 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 ½ tsp baking powder
08 - ½ tsp ground cinnamon
09 - ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
10 - Pinch of salt
11 - Zest of 1 orange (optional)

→ For Serving

12 - Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
13 - Butter for serving (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Combine dried fruit and hot black tea in a bowl. Cover and let soak for at least 1 hour or overnight for optimal plumping.
02 - Preheat oven to 340°F. Grease a 2 lb loaf tin and line with parchment paper.
03 - Whisk sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
04 - Add soaked fruit with remaining tea liquid to the wet mixture. Stir to distribute evenly.
05 - Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into the bowl. Add orange zest if using. Fold gently until just combined—avoid overmixing.
06 - Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and smooth the top surface evenly.
07 - Bake for 55 to 65 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Slice and serve plain or with butter.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The tea soaked fruit creates pockets of incredible moisture throughout the cake
  • Its one of those rare treats that actually gets better after a day or two
02 -
  • Overmixing after adding the flour will make the cake tough so stop as soon as you no longer see dry streaks
  • The overnight soaking time is not just convenient it transforms the texture completely
03 -
  • Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar right before serving for a bakery style finish
  • Use room temperature ingredients to ensure even mixing

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