Christmas Calendar 2014 Day 6 - Christma Tea Bread

Tea bread is another classic item on an afternoon tea table. This is the first time, where I have been baking a tea bread, and I will for sure repeat this experience.

I have found this recipe in the book called "Afternoon Tea - De bedste opskrifter fra Perch´s Tea Room" by Stine Hincheldey Alwén. I have did not make any modification to the original recipe.

It is not a cake, which you can make in a hurry, as the various dried fruits need to soak for minimum 3 hours in tea !!!

Christmas Tea Bread a la Afternoon Tea: - 1 bread/cake

• 125 g dried apricot - cut into smaller pieces
• 125 g raisins
• 75 g sucat
• 300 g strong black tea
• 275 g (cake) flour
• 2½ teaspoon baking powder
• 150 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg

1. Add all the various dried fruit in a small mixing bowl. Pour the hot strong tea over the fruit. Let the fruit soak in the tea for minimum 3 hours or night over.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon together. Add this dry mix into the soaked fruit, and stir everything well together.
3. Add in the egg, and stir everything into a homogeneous mass. If the cake dough seems to be too dry in it, add in some more black tea.
4. Cover a rye bread form with baking paper, before filling the cake dough into it.
5. Bake the cake at 160'C in the lower part of the oven for minimum 1 hour.
6. Check that the cake is baked with a pin, before removing it from the oven.
7. Let the cake cool down, before you start to cut into slices.