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Dinner with Rukmini
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Afternoon Tea Loaf
Introduction from Rukmini Iyer
This recipe comes from one of my parents’ first friends and neighbours when they moved to England. Denise Palmer taught my mother how to make a Victoria sponge, scones and this absolutely wonderful lightly fruited cake. She called it a ‘boiled cake’, as you melt the butter, sugar and fruit together before stirring in the eggs and flour. I’ve updated the recipe slightly to a tea loaf – a wonderfully comforting classic.
Ingredients
Essential kit
You will need: a lined 900g loaf tin and a wire rack.
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas 4. Tip the boiling water into a saucepan and add the teabags. Leave them to steep for 4 minutes, then remove and discard.
Add the butter, sugar, raisins and sultanas to the pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Once the mixture has cooled, beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Weigh out the self-raising flour and spice of your choice into a large bowl, add the salt, then pour in the liquid ingredients and gently stir until just incorporated. Spoon the batter into a lined 900g loaf tin, then transfer to the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes, then gently lift it out on to a wire rack and leave to cool briefly before serving warm or at room temperature.
The cake will keep well in an airtight container in a cool room for 2–3 days.
FOR DIABETICS: Replace the soft dark brown sugar with 115ml date syrup.
FOR GLUTEN-FREE: Replace the self-raising flour with a good brand of gluten-free self-raising flour or a 50:50 mix of ground almonds and gluten-free self-raising flour.
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