Apple & Cherry Tea Loaf

I love a tea loaf. I find them quite satisfying to make and even more satisfying to eat with a nice thick coating of butter on them! I've published other tea loaf recipes on this blog but I fancied making one that was slightly fruitier. I adore cherries so could resist popping in some glace cherries along with some chopped up apple.

The resulting tea loaf was very good, though I still think I could have put a few more cherries in there! Next time... It was lovely and moist and perfect with an afternoon cuppa!

Apple & Cherry Tea Loaf

Ingredients

1 x 250ml cup of black tea
150g sultanas
50g glace cherries
125g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp mixed spice
50ml orange juice
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of cinnamon
1 egg
1 large apple
Demerara sugar

Method

Place the sultanas in a bowl and pour over the hot cup of black tea and leave to soak for a short while.

Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. (Easiest way to do this is with ready-made loaf tin liners).

Chop the glace cherries into halves (quarters if they are large) and add to the raisins along with the sugar, mixed spice and orange juice.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon with the soaked fruit and beat in the egg.

Dice the apple into small pieces and carefully add to the cake mix.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over the surface. Sprinkle the top with a thick layer of demerara sugar and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until cooked (insert a skewer into the centre, it should come out clean).  Leave the loaf to cool in the tin before cutting into slices and serving.

Eat and enjoy!