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Moroccan spiced tea loaf

Helen Goh
Helen Goh

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This teacake is perfect with butter and a cuppa.
This teacake is perfect with butter and a cuppa.William Meppem

This delicious tea loaf is adapted from Julie Duff's wonderful Cakes from Around the World. Ras-el-hanout is a complex Moroccan spice blend that includes coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and rose petals and is now available in most delicatessens and supermarkets. It imparts a gentle warmth to this simple cake, which is especially wonderful spread thickly with salted butter.

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Ingredients

  • 75g currants

  • 75g raisins

  • 75g dried figs, cut in small dice

  • 75g apricots, cut in small dice

  • 75g prunes, cut in small dice

  • 250ml hot black tea (I like Assam, but any strong tea is fine)

  • 225g self-raising flour

  • 2 tsp ras-el-hanout

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 150g soft, light brown sugar

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

  • milk

  • salted butter, for serving

Method

  1. 1. Combine all the fruits in a bowl and pour over the hot tea. Cover and leave in a cool place overnight to allow the fruits to plump up and absorb the tea.

    2. Preheat the oven to 190C (180C fan-forced), and line a 1-litre loaf tin with baking paper.

    3. Sift the flour, ras-el-hanout and salt together in a large bowl, then add the brown sugar. Add the fruit mixture (including the liquid) and the egg, stirring until combined. The batter should be a dropping consistency – if it is too thick, add a little milk.

    4. Scrape the cake mix into the prepared loaf tin and place in the oven for 50-55 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cake rack to cool.

    5. Slice and spread thickly with butter to serve. The cake will keep for up to three days, after which the slices may be toasted. 

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Helen GohHelen Goh is a chef and regular Good Weekend columnist.

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