Irish Barmbrack

A very traditional Irish tea cake, the Barmbrack, is a sweet dough with dried fruit (soaked overnight in tea to plump them up) giving it lots of extra taste and texture. Soft brown sugar gives the brack a rich, dark colour and taste.

Its often eaten in the afternoon, with lots of butter and a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients

• 375g mixed dried fruit (whatever fruits you like best)
• 50ml whiskey
• 250ml cold tea
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 225g plain flour
• 125g brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 egg

Method

1. Soak the fruit overnight in the tea and whiskey mixture
2. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin
3. Combine the flour, sugar, mixed spice and baking powder and mix well
4. Add the whole egg and mix. Add some of the liquid from the dried fruit and continue to mix to create a dryish batter
5. Stir in the fruit and when everything is thoroughly combined pour into the prepared loaf tin
6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin before transferring to a cooling rack. Best eaten a couple of days after baking, keep wrapped in clingfilm.