An Irish Tea Loaf is a fruit cake in its simplest form. Similar to a traditional Barmbrack, but without the addition of citrus fruits, a sticky topping and the placement of charms. It is a delicious loaf made with tea soaked raisins and warm spices. This spiced fruit loaf is gluten free and dairy free.
My granny (she lived with us) would always offer me a ‘wee bit for fruit loaf with butter on it.’ This was my after school snack on any given day. Eating it along with a cup of hot tea, and a lengthy chit chat with her, set the world to rights.
This is an easy, authentic loaf or Irish fruit cake to make. I have also tips for guaranteed success.
What type of Tea to Use?
An Irish Tea Loaf requires Tea. So which one (or ones) should I choose?
1. Irish Tea (The Gold Standard and the Most Obvious)
Irish tea is full-bodied, malty, and slightly brisk — exactly what traditional recipes call for. Brands that are authentically from the motherland are Barry’s, Bewley’s, Lyons, Thompson’s or S.D. Bell ‘Belfast Tea’.
2. Assam or Ceylon Black Tea
Both of these teas mimic Irish blends, so read the ingredient label on a box of black tea to see if they contain either Assam or Ceylon teas. They tend to be a more budget-friendly option.
3. English Breakfast Tea
Similar to the Irish blends, but slightly less intense, so it may be preferred for people with a milder tea palate.
4. Earl Grey
At a pinch, use Earl Grey. It contains bergamot which adds a subtle citrus-floral note.
Did you know that the soaking of the dried fruit it tea eliminates the need for a baking fat such as butter, making the recipe dairy free?!
Tea Loaf Ingredients
- Dried fruit: I used raisins but a variety of sultanas, currants and dates can be used.
- Sugar: brown.
- Flour: choose a gluten free all purpose flour of your choice, or use oat or almond flour.
- Tea: preferably Irish (see above for the best tea choices.)
- Baking powder: if using self raising gluten free flour, then there is no need for baking powder.
- Salt: fine, I use Celtic sea salt.
- Cinnamon and clove: ground.
- Nutmeg: grate the quantity needed from a whole nutmeg kernel.
- Eggs: large, at room temperature.
Add the spices to the raisins in a bowl. Add hot water to the tea bags to make strong tea. Remove the tea bags after steeping for 4-5 minutes.
Pour the tea into the bowl of spiced raisins and mix well.
Cover the bowl and allow the tea to be absorbed by the raisins, overnight or about 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C. Remove the plastic wrap, add eggs, flour, baking powder and salt, then mix.
Pour the raw cake batter into a lined (with parchment paper) 2 lb loaf pan. Bake at 350°F /180°C for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 320°F /160°C and cover the loaf with foil.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the pan and after about 10 minutes remove it and place on a wire rack. Serving suggestion – slice this dried fruit loaf cake and spread a generous layer of butter on it.
A Tip From Me
When soaking the dried fruit in tea, make sure the water used is boiling 100°C / 212°F. Oftentimes, a temperature range for water for tea making is between 190−212∘F / 88−100∘C. In this case, the hotter the water is – the better. Hot water will open up the raisins resulting in plump, juicy fruit.
A tea substitute is alcohol with the most commonly used and recommended alcohol being whiskey (Irish of course!) Use the same amount of whiskey as tea or better yet use a combination of the two. If preferred use brandy, bourbon or rye.
While a slice of Irish Tea Loaf is typically served with butter smeared on top, another recommendation is to thickly slice it and toast it, then smother it in butter. It is finger lickin’ good!
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
I would not recommend using green tea because it is too delicate and it will impart a grassy flavor into the fruit.
They are similar except a traditional Barmbrack is associated with Halloween, it contains charms and is usually baked in a round cake pan and finished with a sticky marmalade coating. This Irish Tea Loaf is commonly eaten with a cup of tea either mid morning or mid afternoon. It does not contain charms and like its name suggests, it is baked in a loaf pan, with no coating on it.
You can add as much as you want, just do not exceed the 10 fl oz allotment for liquid. Use a combination of tea and whiskey if desired.
So grab your teabags and get soaking and let’s make some tea soaked fruit bread!
Irish Tea Loaf Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 16 oz raisins or variety of dried fruits.
- 8 oz brown sugar
- 16 oz gluten free flour of your choice.
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground clove,
- 10 oz hot tea I used 3 teabags and hot water.
Instructions
- Add the spices to the raisins in a bowl. Add hot water to the tea bags to make strong tea. Remove the tea bags after steeping for 4-5 minutes.
- Pour the tea into the bowl of spiced raisins and mix well.
- Cover the bowl and allow the tea to be absorbed by the raisins, overnight or about 12 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C. Remove the plastic wrap, add eggs, flour, baking powder and salt, then mix.
- Pour the raw cake batter into a lined (with parchment paper) 2 lb loaf pan. Bake at 350°F /180°C for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 320°F /160°C and cover the loaf with foil.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the pan and after about 10 minutes remove it and place on a wire rack. Serving suggestion – slice it and spread a generous layer of butter on it.
Notes
- When soaking the dried fruit in tea, make sure the water used is boiling 100°C / 212°F. Hot water will open up the raisins resulting in plump, juicy fruit.
- Alcohol can be use in place of tea to steep the fruit. Use the same quantity of liquid. Feel free to mix and match tea and alcohol.
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