I tried this recipe today. Saw it in the newspapers last week and because there's tea in it, I thought I'd try it out.
Ingredients:* 300ml boiling water
* 3 Earl Grey tea bags
* 125g soft brown sugar
* 2-1/2 cups mixed dried vine fruits (currants, raisins or sultanas) - I used raisins, dried cherries and currants
* 2 eggs, whisked
* 2-1/2 cups self-raising flour
* Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange (I used an organic orange because I don't like grating zest of conventional oranges)
* 1/2 cup chopped unblanched almonds
* 2 tbsp honey
Method:Pour water over the tea bags in a large heat-proof bowl and leave for 5 mins. Remove tea bags, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the vine fruit, stir and stand for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to moderate (I used approximately 180 degrees). Line a 24cm x 11cm loaf pan with baking paper.
Add the eggs, flour, orange zest and juice to the fruit mixture. Beat well. Spoon mixture into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with almonds and bake about 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool in the pan in a rack for 10 mins. While it's cooling, warm the honey slightly and drizzle over the top of the loaf. Serve thinly sliced (I skipped the honey bit though).
The end product is like a fruit bread and I like it because there is no butter involved. I don't seem to be able to taste the tea anymore though. It seems like the orange zest might have overpowered it maybe because my orange was too large?? But on the whole, I'm quite pleased with the outcome because the loaf rose really nicely and tastes healthy and good.
