A basic tea loaf or fruit loaf makes a great snack and this one is possibly the simplest cake you will ever make. You will need a 2lb loaf tin and 2lb tin loaf liner
Place the dried mixed fruit & sugar in a large bowl and pour over the hot tea. Give it a quick stir to dissolve the sugar, cover it with a plate, and leave overnight.
380 g dried mixed fruit, 50 g golden caster sugar, 150 ml hot tea
Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/340°F/gas mark 3. Add the beaten egg and sieve in the flour. Fold the mixture together with a spoon until it is all mixed in.
1 egg, 225 g self-raising flour
Transfer the mixture to a standard 2lb loaf tin, lined with a standard 2lb loaf tin liner. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes. To test if it's ready, insert a fork into the middle of the cake, if the fork is clean - ie no mixture is stuck to it, it is cooked through. You may need an extra 5 minutes.
Leave it on a wire rack to cool. Cut into slices to serve. It's also lovely spread with butter.
Notes
Varying the recipe
This is a perfect Everyday Fruit Cake but it's easy to add some additional flavours. Make sure to keep the overall weight of dried fruit etc to 380g / 13oz or your tea loaf will not be moist.
Spices - add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or All Spice
Deluxe - add some finely chopped nuts or glace cherries. You don't need to soak the nuts or cherries overnight, just add them along with the eggs and flour
Orange zest- add the zest of one orange to the fruit and tea mixture
Dried Cranberries - add a slightly tart flavour
Storage
A Tea Loaf will keep very well stored in an airtight container in your cupboard for about 2-3 weeks. If it starts to go a little dry, you can spread it with butter. It also freezes well. To freeze it, wrap it up well to prevent freezer burn. It will keep for about 6 months. De-frost your tea loaf at room temperature for about 4 hours.