West Cumberland Tea Bread

My Nanna used to make this for afternoon tea. She would serve it buttered and for Christmas and New Years it was served buttered with Rum Butter as a special treat. For the mixed dried fruit you can either use one or a combination of sultanas, raisins, currants and mixed peel. Glace cherries are also nice. This cake is moist and keeps well. It's good for picnics, camping, lunchboxes and pot lucks.

• Ready In: 25 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 1 2lb loaf

Ingredients

• 12  fluid oz tea
• 12  ounces  mixed dried fruit
• 10  ounces self raising flour (or plain flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder)
• 1  teaspoon mixed spice
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  egg
• 4  ounces light brown sugar

Directions

1. The day before you bake the tea bread place the mixed dried fruit into your mixing bowl and cover with the tea. Soak the fruit overnight.
2. The next day add all the other ingredients to the soaked fruit and mix well.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin and bake in the top oven of the Aga with the grid shelf on the oven floor and the cold plain shelf above for about 1 hour but check after about 45 minutes. A skewer inserted should come out clean.
4. Turn the tea bread out onto a baking rack to cool.
5. Serve sliced and buttered (optional) with a cuppa.
6. For conventional ovens the temperatures are gas mark 3 or 170 degrees centigrade and cooking time will probably be 1 hour 15 mins to 1 hour 30 minutes.