Monday 6 February 2012

Just the thing!

When you've been out in the snow doing this....
 
 

what you need is a slice of this...


And I've finally found a tea loaf recipe which contains 'normal' ingredients, tastes delicious and is gluten free:
N.B. Start the day before you intend to bake, as the fruit mixture needs to soak for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight

Ingredients: 
  • 175g dried mixed fruit (I added dates, apricots and cranberries to a basic 'dried fruit' mix)
  • 150ml hot, strong black tea
  • 200g Gluten-free self-raising flour
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 100g light soft brown sugar
  • 1tbsp golden syrup, melted
  • 50g chopped mixed nuts
  •  Finely grated zest of orange
  • 1 level tsp ground mixed spice
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 2tbs sunflower oil
  • 150ml milk
  • 500g loaf tin, buttered or lined with baking parchment
  • Butter to serve (optional)
 Method:
  1. Place the fruit in a bowl and pour the hot tea over. Cover the bowl and leave overnight for the fruit to absorb some of the tea.
  2. Set oven to gas 3 or 160C
  3. Tip the flour into a bowl and stir in ground almonds, sugar, nuts, orange zest and mixed spice
  4. Add the syrup, egg and sunflower oil to the fruit mixture and tip this into the dry ingredients. Stir well adding enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Place the tin in the centre of the oven.
  6. Bake the cake for about 1 hour or until it has risen and feels firm to the touch in the centre.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for about 10 mins. Turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. If required the cake will freeze for 1 month (Ha! Colin will be lucky to see it let alone freeze it!)

Then sit back in front of the fire and enjoy!!

9 comments:

Jean said...

Wow, that looks yummy !!
Put the kettle on, I'll just get my coat......

Susan said...

Ahem...laying in the snow flailing your arms? Teacake looks a very nice recipe.

Diane said...

I could have done with a slice of that when I came in this morning. It looks just great, when are you serving it again? Diane

Colin and Elizabeth said...

There's a bit of magic in the first photo, Susan. If you look closely you'll see a Snow Angel appear....but only if you've been very good!

Yes, Susan, the tea loaf recipe is certainly to be recommended...

Colin and Elizabeth said...

You'd be most welcome! Are you any good at making Snow Angels??!

Colin and Elizabeth said...

It's the sort of cake to "stick the ribs together" as my late Uncle Hedley would have said!

Anonymous said...

Lovely snow angel...one of the best I've seen this year.

SP

Tim said...

Susan... Down Under you'd probably make Sand Angels! Great picture of a little observed phenomenonneneon

Susan said...

I've just made the teacake and it went extremely well as pudding with custard. I assumed the snow angel was optional, but thank you for introducing us to this charming custom.