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Cinnamon tea loaf

225g / 8 oz raisins or other vine fruits

125g / 4oz dark muscovado sugar

1/2 pt / 300ml tea.

125g / 4oz plain wholemeal flour

125g / 4oz self raising white flour

1tsp / 5ml baking powder

1tsp / 5ml ground cinnamon

2 medium or large eggs

2 tbsp thin honey, warmed to glaze (optional)

Method:

1. Mix the fruit and sugar together in a bowl. Pour over the tea, and leave to soak overnight. You can use more fruit than the recipe here, (eg 100g of any mixture of dried apricots / dates / ready to eat prunes)

2. Grease and line a 1.2l (2pt) loaf tin. Sift the flours, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the saoked fruits, the soaking liquid and the eggs. Mix until evenly combined.

3. Turn into the prepared loaf tin, and bake at 180 degrees (350 F) Mark 4 for 45 mins, or until firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. I find the time depends very much on your tin. Silicon loaf tins cook much quicker to the centre than metal or terracotta. I use convection setting for this, and do put it lower in the oven rather than high.

Leave to partly cool in the tin, Drizzle with the extra honey to glaze if liked. Then take out to cool.

VARIATIONS: Roughly chopped brazil nuts or walnuts can be added as well as the other dried fruits such as apricots or prunes. Cinnamon can be substituted for mixed spice for a more festive flavour and extra honey or sugar can go in the mix if you like a sweeter cake, but our whole family love this one as it is!