Halloween Irish Fruit Loaf
This recipe requires overnight soaking or soaking for a minimum of 6 hours.
Directions
Start this recipe the day before. To 300ml of boiling water, add 2 black tea bags and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags from the cup and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, add dried fruit and the cooled tea and set aside to soak for a minimum of 6 hours but preferably overnight. Once soaked, drain the fruit and set aside.
Into a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice, sugar and salt. Mix well. Add soaked fruit.
Mix together eggs, milk and orange zest and add to flour mixture. With a spatula, combine to form a fruity batter with no visible streaks of flour.
Pre-heat oven to 160ºC (fan forced). Prepare and line a loaf tin with cooking spray and baking paper. Put the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Check the loaf at the 50 minute mark and loosely cover with foil if the top is browning too much.
Pull the loaf out of the oven and onto a cooling rack, whilst still hot, brush the loaf with honey. Allow to cool in the tin before turning out onto a cutting board. Slice and enjoy with butter (if desired).
- Make the tea and soak the dried fruit overnight to give you plump juicy fruit in the loaf.
- If desired, add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to this recipe when adding the fruit.
- 300ml cold tea (use 2 teabags in 300ml boiling water)
- 300g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins and mixed peel)
- 250g plain flour
- 3 tsp McKenzie's Baking Powder
- 1 tsp McKenzie's Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp McKenzie's Mixed Spice
- 130g caster sugar
- 2 large egg, lightly beaten
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tbs honey
- 1 cup milk
