Easter Simnel Tea Loaf

My favourite thing to bake at Easter has to be a simnel cake. I love the combination of fruit with the marzipan.

This year I decided to add a little twist to the traditional bake. Instead of making a simnel cake I have made a simnel tea loaf. The dried fruit has been soaked in a delicious Tarocco Sunrise Tea which contains Rose Hip peel, Hibiscus flowers, apple pieces, safflower and natural blood orange flavours. The tea adds a zingy citrus tang to the cake.

This tea loaf is a lovely alternative to the traditional simnel cake. This is what I did...

Easter Simnel Tea Loaf

Ingredients

225g dried mixed fruit with cranberry, apricot and pineapple
180mls boiling water
5tsp Tarocco Sunrise tea
150g dark muscovado sugar
1 egg
225g self raising flour
150g marzipan

Method

Pre heat the oven to 170C fan

1 - Brew the tea in the boiling water for 10 minutes

2 - Once the tea has brewed pour over the fruit and leave for at least 2 hours, longer if possible, to allow the fruit to soak up the flavours

3 - Add the sugar and mix until the sugar has dissolved

4 - Add the egg and mix thoroughly

5 - Sift over the flour and mix until all of the ingredients are combined evenly

6 - Place half of the mixture into a lined loaf tin

7 - Roll out the marzipan into a rectangular shape and place in the middle of the cake

8 - Spoon on the remaining cake mixture over the top of the marzipan

9 - Place the tin in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for 1 hour or until thoroughly baked, check regularly after 40 minutes and if the top goes brown before it is thoroughly baked cover it with foil to prevent burning

10 - Once baked remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before removing and allowing to cool completely on a cooling rack

The Tarocco Sunrise tea add a zingy, citrus taste to the cake and the marzipan creates a deliciously sweet centre which will leave you wanting more!

Enjoy x

I am sharing my Easter recipe with A Mummy Too - Recipe of the Week and Casa Costello - Bake of the Week