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    Fruited apple and almond tea loaf

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    Fruited apple and almond tea loaf

    • Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus soaking and cooling
    • Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    • Total time: 1 hour 50 minutes, plus soaking and cooling

    Serves: 10

    Ingredients

    200g mixed dried fruit
    200ml strong, freshly made English breakfast tea, tea bag left in
    30g salted butter, melted, plus extra to grease
    175g self-raising flour, sifted
    150g demerara sugar, plus 2 tsp for the top
    1 tsp ground mixed spice
    85g ground almonds
    1 braeburn apple (about 150g), skin on, ½ grated, ½ cut into thin wedges
    1 large egg, beaten
    2 tbsp milk

    Method

    1. Put the dried fruit and tea in a bowl. Cover and leave until plumped – about 4 hours, or ideally overnight. Grease a 900g loaf tin; line with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 160˚C, gas mark 3. Drain the fruit over a bowl; reserve the tea and discard the tea bag. Put the flour in a large bowl; stir in the sugar, spice, almonds and a pinch of salt.

    2. Add the melted butter, soaked fruit, grated apple, egg, milk and 2 tbsp reserved tea; stir into a thick batter. Spoon into the tin and level the top a little. Dip the apple wedges into the leftover tea, scatter over the cake and press in a little, then sprinkle over 2 tsp sugar.

    3. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, covering with foil for the final 20 minutes if the top is browning too much. When ready, the cake will be risen and dark golden, and a skewer inserted into the middle will come out clean or with just a few damp crumbs. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes then lift out using the paper, and cool on a rack. Serve warm or cold, spread with butter, if liked.

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    This recipe first appeared in Waitrose & Partners Food, March 2019 issue. Download the Waitrose & Partners Food app for the full issue

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