Gluten Free Tea Loaf

4.47 from 89 votes

This gluten free tea loaf is a great fruit loaf recipe. Dried fruit is soaked in tea before being baked into a gluten and dairy free cake. Total time does not include the soaking of the fruit, which should ideally be done overnight.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 20

Course: Baking

Cuisine: British

Keyword: dairy free, fruit cake, fruit loaf, Gluten free, recipe, tea loaf

Servings:

Author: Sarah Howells

Ingredients

100 g raisins or sultanas or even mix of both
50 g prunes
50 g dried apricots
150 ml boiling water
3 tea bags
200 g self-raising gluten free flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp mixed spice
100 g light brown sugar
1 orange zest only
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs

Instructions

Place the tea bags in a jug and pour the boiling water over. Leave the tea to brew for 10 minutes.
Chop the prunes and the apricots into quarters. Once the tea has brewed, leave the tea bags in, pour the fruit into the jug and stir. Cover and leave ideally overnight - or for at least an hour or two. You want the tea to be cold before you make the cake.
When you're ready to make the cake, preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Mark 6. Line a 2lb loaf tin with a loaf liner or baking paper and set to one side.
Add the flour, xanthan gum, mixed spice, sugar and orange zest to a large mixing bowl and stir well.
In a separate small bowl or mug, crack the eggs and add the oil. Lightly beat together and then pour in to the dry ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick batter.
Remove the tea bags from the fruit and discard. Pour the fruit and leftover liquid into the cake batter and mix well until completely combined. Pour into the lined loaf tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. It should be a lovely golden brown colour and have risen slightly. Check the cake after around 45 minutes and if it is starting to darken too much on top, cover with some foil.
Cool the cake in the loaf tin before serving - can be served while still slightly warm or completely cool. Slice and slather with butter to serve. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Because of the lack of fat in this recipe, it will actually keep for a lot longer than a standard cake. The flavour also improves over time so it's worth making in advance!
This cake will keep for several weeks in an airtight container - slice when needed. You can also freeze slices and defrost when needed.

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