Packed full of tea-soaked fruit, this tea loaf is beautifully rich and moist.
I love to serve mine spread with a little salted butter and a nice cup of tea.
It keeps really well and makes a great gift too.
Can you believe that I when I was younger, I didn't like tea bread.
Was I insane?
All of those raisins seemed to be taking the place of some more deserving chocolate or jam.
I really didn't know what I was missing out on.
Nowadays, I can't get enough of a lovely rich slice of tea bread, served with a strong cup of builders tea.
Chris is obsessed with the stuff. If we go to a farm shop or market and he spots tea bread, he's paid for it before I even open my mouth. So I know I'm always going to have a happy husband when I make it at home!
The sultanas and raisins are soaked overnight in the tea - which really plumps them up. The whole bowlful - including the leftover soaking liquor is added to the mix.
📋 What do we need?
🔪 How to make this tea bread recipe
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- First we need to soak the raisins and sultanas overnight in tea. This helps them to plump up, so you get a wonderful moist cake with lots of flavour.
- Then we mix the dry ingredients together - the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and mixed spice.
- Next in goes melted butter, eggs and the soaked fruit (including any liquid left in the bowl).
- Mix it all together, transfer to a loaf tin and bake for about 1 hour to 1 ¼ hours, until cooked through.
👩🍳PRO TIP You can check the cake is cooked all the way through by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If it still has wet cake mixture on, place back in the oven for 10 minute increments, until done. If the cake starts to look like it's going to get too brown on top, then top it with foil to stop it browning further.
Once it's cooked, cool it on a wire rack, then slice.
You can serve it as is, or spread with a little butter and serve with a nice cup of tea!
Any leftover cake can be wrapped in a layer of parchment, then a layer of foil. It should keep well for a week at room temperature.
🍲 More fantastic fruity cakes
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Moist and Fruity Tea Loaf
Ingredients
- 150 g (¾ cup) sultanas
- 150 g (¾ cup) raisins
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) freshly made tea (using 2 tea bags)
- 250 g (2 cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 200 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the sultanas and raisins in a bowl and pour over the hot tea. Cover and allow to soak up the liquid overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F. Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment or a loaf tin liner.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and mixed spice in a mixing bowl and stir together.
- Mix in the melted butter and eggs - using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add in the raisins, sultanas and any liquid left in the bowl.
- Stir together until everything is thoroughly combined. It will be a very wet mixture.
- Spoon the mixture into the lined loaf tin, place in the oven and bake for 1 hour - to 1 hour 15 minutes. You'll know it's done when an inserted skewer comes out clean. If you find that the top of the tea bread is starting to look too dark whilst it's in the oven, you can cover it will foil.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Video
✎ Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was first posted in May 2015. Updated in June 2021 with new photos, video and a bit of housekeeping.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Bobbie Patterson says
This tea loaf is, as it says, moist and fruity. A great recipe, easy to cut and doesn’t crumble. However for my taste, there wasn’t enough spices in it. The next time, I doubled the mixed spice and added a teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger. My husband said it was the nicest he had ever tasted and insisted that I keep the recipe.
Reese says
Hi! Do you think these can be made as muffins too?
Lynne says
Excellent recipe. Easy to follow and tasted fab
Michael says
Good recipe. Some years ago, I made a whisky teabread for a friend's birthday. This year, I made a teabread to use up some of my remaining Christmas cake dried fruits - sultanas, raisins, currants & mixed peel. I made the soaking liquid all tea, and no booze, as I'd be taking slices to work. I increased the ingredients from a 1 lb loaf tin amount to a 1 1/2 lb loaf tin amount. I forgot to increase the cooking time: hence my hurried on-line search, after 50 mins, to reassure myself that 1 hr 15 mins would be fine.
So thanks for your site, recipe, and method. I would suggest that you could omit the butter, because many defining / historical recipes for this loaf, as opposed to a fruit cake, are fat free.
But if butter makes it better, keep it in! Replacing up to half the amount of tea with whisky, can certainly make it better. Merry Christmas from Merry Old England.
Anne says
I made this yesterday and followed your instructions to the letter and WOW! Blowing my own trumpet here, this is the best fruit cake I've had! Soooo moist but not wet, and surprisingly light to eat.
I made for my Brothers birthday as he is a big fan of fruit cakes and he is loving it. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Paula says
A fantastic recipe, I love how moist it is even after a day or two. It's so easy to cut compared to a light fruit cake, a perfect slice every time! Thanks so much much sharing such a beautiful recipe, it'll be my go to recipe anymore!
Val says
Is the fruity tea loaf suitable for freezing?
Virginia Wilcockson says
Before trying this recipe could you please confirm that the 170deg is for a fan assisted oven. If not I will adjust to 150
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Virginia, yes, it's for a fan assisted oven. Hope you enjoy it 🙂