The perfect treat to go with your cuppa, this Ginger Tea Fruitcake is beautifully soft, moist, and packed with flavour. Use any dried fruit of your choice, or fresh blueberries, along with some chopped nuts if you fancy! And feel free to add any spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, alongside the ginger of course.
What gives this fruitcake the edge is the added tea flavours. Instead of soaking the fruit in alcohol, the dried fruit is soaked in hot tea, which infuses it with rich flavour while making it wonderfully plump and juicy. For the best flavour, use a strong black tea such as the classic Welsh Brew, Welsh Breakfast, Earl Grey or Darjeeling. Or for an added ginger hit use our Lemon & Ginger loose leaf tea. Allow the tea to brew until it’s rich and robust before stirring in the brown sugar and dried fruit.
Use whatever fruit you like!
A combination of dark and golden raisins, currants, dried cranberries, cherries, and apricots all work beautifully. Perhaps add some toasted chopped nuts or candied mixed peel, adding both texture and flavour. Pecans, walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts are all excellent choices, while the candied peel can be lemon, orange, or a mixed variety that may include glacé cherries. If you’re not a fan of candied peel, simply leave it out.
Tea Fruitcake Ingredients:
- 350g mixed dried fruit
- 2 ball stem ginger, diced
- 350 ml hot tea (2-3 tea bags)
- 200g soft light brown sugar
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 275g self-raising flour
Instructions:
- Put the dried fruit and stem ginger in a bowl and pour over the hot tea. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper.
- Add the eggs, sugar and lemon zest to the fruit mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Stir in the flour until just combined.
- Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle toppings over the top of the batter if you like!
- Bake for 90 minutes, or until a skewer comes out of the centre clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin then slice and serve with your favourite conserve.
Although this Tea Fruitcake can be enjoyed as soon as it has cooled, the flavour and texture improve even more after resting overnight, so you can have a tasty bite with your cup of tea for days to come!
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