Homemade Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf

There is nothing quite like a Homemade Tea Loaf, bursting with sultanas and complemented by subtle hints of orange and warming spices! Perfect and tasty for the whole family big and small, and the ideal accompaniment to one’s afternoon cuppa!

This Loaf tastes wonderfully flavoursome, with a lovely moist texture which holds together beautifully when sliced! There is wonderful versatility with tea loaf; with this particular recipe I like to drizzle with white icing and zested orange, but it tastes and looks just as good bare, toasted and coated in butter! The whole family enjoys this recipe, even my little one scoffs it away quickly!

Do I need to soak the fruit?

To get an even distribution of fruit throughout the loaf, and plump sultanas bursting with tea it is required to soak the fruit in freshly brewed tea for a period. While overnight provides best results, a minimum of six hours soaking is recommended.

A heatproof bowl or measuring jug is ideal for soaking the fruit, as it will be added to boiling hot tea. I also recommend using numerous tea bags to get a better flavour! After the soaking process is complete, there should be no/minimal tea fluid remaining (and plump sultanas!) and therefore all the contents of the jug will go into the cake- do not discard any of it!

The soaking process also allows an opportunity for the orange flavour to be absorbed by the sultanas, adding a great taste to the loaf when baked!

Difficulty- How easy is it?

This recipe is so easy, making it great for any cooking ability and is a quick cake to put together with little steps to follow!  It is also the perfect recipe for baking together with the little ones as it literally is a ‘throw everything in the bowl and mix’ recipe!

Storage:

This Homemade Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days to a week.

To Freeze:

This tea loaf freezes well; and can be stored for up to three months. It works well if the loaf is sliced before freezing, and then you can easily grab a slice at a time to have alongside your cuppa.

How to serve the Homemade Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf:

There are various ways that we enjoy serving this Tea Loaf. I have included the instructions for making a simple icing to drizzle on top of the cake as it adds a beautiful decoration and was fun to do with my son! However, Tea Loaf is more traditionally served without icing, and can be toasted, buttered, or served with cheese, all options are wonderfully tasty!

Preparation and Cook Time:

While the fruit must be soaked for a minimum of six hours, preferably overnight, this loaf is really quick and easy to prepare. Allow 15 minutes to prepare. Cooking time is 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Equipment:

To make the Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf you will need; A Measuring Jug, Tea towel (or something to cover the jug when the fruit is soaking), Large mixing Bowl, 900g Loaf tin, Baking Parchment Loaf Tin Liners (or grease the tin with margarine!),measuring scales and Kitchen utensils.

Ingrediant List:

• 340g Sultanas

• 1 orange (Zested)

• ½ Lemon (Zested)

• 300ml Earl Grey Tea (I recommend making the tea with 2-3 tea bags / or save some from previous tea throughout the day and add to 1 freshly brewed tea bag)

• 2 Eggs Beaten

• 250g Self-Raising Flour

• 190g Soft Light Brown Sugar

• 1 tsp Ground cloves

• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

For the Icing:

• 70g Icing Sugar

• 10ml Warm Water

• ½ Orange Zest (Optional)

Instruction Recipe:

To start, make 300ml of freshly brewed Earl Grey Tea in a measuring jug (I tend to use approx. 3 tea bags).

Next, add the sultanas to the measuring jug full of freshly brewed tea, and the zest of 1 orange.

Mix well before covering the jug with a tea towel and leaving to soak at room temperature, for a minimum of six hours or ideally overnight to enable the sultanas to absorb the tea.

Once the soaking period is done, Heat the oven to 180 c and line a loaf tin with a parchment loaf tin liner (or grease the tin with margarine).

Beat together the eggs in a large mixing bowl, and add the flour, sugar, ground clove, ground cinnamon and the zest of half a lemon.

Next remove the tea bags from the soaked fruit, before adding the fruit and any residual tea (Do not discard any tea that is still in the jug!) to the bowl.

Mix until well combined.

Then transfer the mixture into the lined loaf tin, before placing in the oven for approx. 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the loaf is firm to touch and a skewer placed in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Once cooked, leave to cool for 10 minutes on a tray or wire rack.

To make the Icing:

Place the Icing sugar into a mixing bowl.

Add to this warm water and stir until combined and the icing becomes thick enough to not run off the loaf (It may be necessary to add a drop or two more water to get the right consistency!)

Wiggle a teaspoon over the loaf to get a drizzle pattern and then cover with the zest of half an orange to create a beautiful looking loaf!

Our Family Serves:

Homemade Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf is so tasty and is the perfect cake for all the family! There is nothing quite like a slice with a cuppa, however if you want to explore some other accompaniments then here are a few of our favourites:

–Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf, toasted with Butter- If the drizzle of icing is not your thing, then you may enjoy leaving the loaf bare and toasting. With a coating of butter, this tea loaf is the perfect snack!

–Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf with cheese- Tea loaf is often served with cheese, and this provides a wonderful way to add a little sweetness to savoury cheeses!

Frequently Asked Questions

Homemade Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf

There really is nothing quite as good as homemade Earl Grey and Orange Spiced Tea Loaf. I hope after trying this recipe, it will become a favourite with your family too x