This Cinnamon Cherry Tea Bread needs no fancy adornments. It’s richly fruited, lip-smackingly tangy and delightfully light. This fruit loaf is also very easy to make.
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This cinnamon & cherry tea bread is all you could wish for in a cake. There’s a lovely tartness from the cherries, which mellows nicely with the cinnamon and a touch of honey.
Confession: tea bread never used to excite me at all – I’d always politely pass if offered a slice.
That was until a few years ago when I spotted some on a hotel breakfast buffet table. It looked rather good, so I took a slice. That slice was soft, with a good crumb and it was bursting with plump & juicy dried fruits. Then there were the intoxicating notes of tea & spices on offer. Free for the taking, if you like.
In just one bite my life-long abstinence from tea bread was put to rest. I was smitten. And shortly afterwards, this lovely fruit loaf was born.
What is tea bread?
Tea bread, also known as tea loaf or fruit loaf, is a fatless cake brimming with dried fruit that has been lovingly steeped in strong tea for hours. It’s a highly traditional English cake, particularly popular in Yorkshire. Similar cakes include the Welsh Bara Brith and the Irish Barmbrack.
Of course, it partners well with a good cup of tea at any time of the day.
If you’re a big coffee lover you may want to take a look at my coffee and date bread too.
Why this fruit loaf is worth making
Aside from delivering a cake that is enviably rich, soft and moist this recipe is worth making because it is also:
And by its very nature, a fruit loaf should not be decorated, so absolutely no cake decorating skills are required. That’s a sweet baby bonus in itself.
Ingredients notes
I chose to soak the fruit in Ceylon tea which tastes fresh with a subtle tanginess to it. I thought this tangy edge would match those tart cherries perfectly. But you can use regular black tea or even Earl Grey if you prefer. I recommend using tea bags rather than loose leaf tea as they are easy to remove after the soaking time is up.
Dried cherries are easy to get hold of in supermarkets and online these days. They are a more unusual ingredient in a tea bread recipe, but they certainly do add an extra flavour dimension, so it’s well worth hunting them out.
Feel free to use up dried fruit that has become a little old in this fruit loaf recipe. Since it is soaked in ample liquid, a lovely plumpness is guaranteed to be returned to the fruit.
Cinnamon pairs well with the Ceylon tea and the cherries but feel free to swap this for chai spice, pumpkin spice or mixed spice.
Step-by-step instructions
- Put the dried fruits and tea bags into a large bowl. Pour the just boiled water on top and leave to soak for 2 hours (or overnight). Remove the tea bags and discard
- Put the sugar, honey and eggs into a large bowl and mix, with electric beaters, until pale and thick (the consistency of fairly thick custard). This will take around 5 minutes
- Measure out the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir to combine, then sieve half into the batter and fold in
- Mix the dried fruit, soaking liquid and the orange zest into the batter
- Sieve in the remaining flour and fold through
- Spoon into the baking tin and bake for 50-60 minutes in the oven
- Allow to cool completely in the tin
Expert tips
- Don’t skimp on the soaking time for the fruit. The longer you can leave it, the better as the fruit will keep on absorbing the tea as it sits in it, making the final bake all the softer and better for it
- And keep on beating the eggs, sugar and honey together for a good 5 minutes to enable the mixture to thicken and incorporate some air
- Don’t forget to line the baking tin to avoid the cake getting stuck in the pan
- If you can’t get hold of dried cherries use sultanas instead
- Need a vegan tea loaf? Try this one
- Need a gluten-free tea bread? How about this one?
Frequently asked questions
Honestly, wrap this tea bread up in foil or parchment for 24 hours (once cold) to let the flavours fully develop before slicing into it. From this point, it will stay fresh for up to 3 days if wrapped well and stored at room temperature.
Alternatively, freeze the entire loaf or slices for up to 2 months.
Any fruit loaf, including this cinnamon & cherry tea bread, is heavenly served just as it is. There is absolutely no need for a glaze or icing. Adding either would be a travesty actually.
However, a generous slick of lightly salted butter elevates this culinary delight even further (I will never pass up the chance for butter).
It can even be toasted if desired. Oh and try serving it with a slice of English cheese sometimes too. You’ll be surprised how well the combination pairs up.
Fruit loaf doesn’t contain butter, oil or margarine. In fact, the only fat it does contain comes from the eggs, so it is a very low-fat cake. That said, it does still contain plenty of sugar, so although in terms of fat it’s healthier than many other cakes around, it is still not exactly healthy.
Other dried fruit recipes to try out
Have you made this cinnamon and cherry tea bread? Let me know how you got along by leaving a comment or rating below. You can also show me your creation on Instagram by tagging me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.
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Cinnamon Cherry Tea Bread
Ingredients
- 175 g Dried cherries
- 125 g Raisins
- 30 g Dried apricots
- 2 Tea bag (I used Ceylon)
- 275 ml Just boiled water
- 125 g Light muscovado sugar
- 3 tablespoons Honey
- 2 Large eggs
- 300 g plain (all purpose) flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons Baking powder
- 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
- Zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Chop the apricots roughly then put all of the dried fruits and the tea bags into a large bowl. Pour the just-boiled water on top and leave to soak for 2 hours (or overnight). Remove the tea bags and discard
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/ 310°F and line a 2 LB loaf tin with baking parchment
- Put the sugar, honey and eggs into a large bowl and mix, with electric beaters, until pale and thick (the consistency of fairly thick custard). This will take around 5 minutes
- Measure out the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir to combine, then sieve half into the batter and fold in
- Mix the dried fruit, soaking liquid and the orange zest into the batter
- Finally, sieve in the remaining flour and fold through until the flour has been fully incorporated
- Spoon into the baking tin and bake for 50-60 minutes in the oven. The tea loaf is cooked when a skewer coming out clean. (after 45 minutes cover the top of the cake with foil if you think it might burn but the cake needs longer)
- Allow to cool completely in the tin
Notes
- Don’t skimp on the soaking time for the fruit. The longer you can leave it, the better as the fruit will keep on absorbing the tea as it sits in it, making the final bake all the softer and better for it
- And keep on beating the eggs, sugar and honey together for a good 5 minutes to enable the mixture to thicken and incorporate some air
- Don’t forget to line the baking tin to avoid the cake getting astuck in the pan
- If you can’t get hold of dried cherries use sultanas instead
Sarah
I’m about to sit down with a cup of coffee and now I want nothing more than a slice of this bread and a nice slab of butter to go along with it – you’re pictures are making me salivate!
Jane Saunders
Ha Ha, Sarah. Make sure you bake this in time for your next coffee break 😉
Michelle @ giraffes can bake
This looks sooooooo good Jane, I got very excited when I saw it pop up on my emails!
I’m not sure I’ve ever tried tea bread, but this will definitely change with this yummines!
Cherry and cinnamon is the perfect combo too
Jane Saunders
Thanks Michelle – it’s not often I get to cause excitement so I’m chuffed. I think tea bread is one of those old fashioned treats that gets a bit overlooked these days with so many wonderful cakes on offer.