Ingredients

• vegetable oil
• for greasing
• 100g/3½oz mixed dried fruit
• 70ml/2¾fl oz decaffeinated tea
• cooled until tepid
• 1 heaped tsp honey
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten
• 150g/5oz plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ teaspoon mixed spice

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a loaf tin with vegetable oil.
• Place the dried fruit into a large mixing bowl and pour over the warm tea. Stir in the honey.
• Beat the egg and whisk it into the tea mixture using a fork. (Make sure that the tea is not too hot so that the egg doesn't curdle.)
• In a separate bowl
• mix together the flour
• baking powder and mixed spice.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until the mixture is thick
• sticky and well combined.
• Pour the cake mixture into the prepared loaf tin and place the tin onto a baking tray. Bake the tea loaf in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Set the tea loaf aside to cool in the tin
• then cut into thick slices.