Huffsie Fruited Tea Loaf from Shetland

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A fruited tea loaf is a very British bake – dried vine fruits, steeped in our national drink, tea, are cooked with sugar, eggs and flour into a delicious, moist fruit cake. There are many different recipes from around the country, and even recipes from the same part of the country vary significantly. Some include butter, some spices, some citrus flavours too. This particular version is from the Isle of Whalsay, Shetland, Scotland and includes butter, spices and also some treacle. It is moist, packed with fruit with spicy and caramel undertones. Like most tea loaves, it is delicious served as it is, works wonderfully well with salted butter, you can add some jam and it also fantastic with cheese.

There are many different recipes around the UK

Growing up, I remember my parents and grandparents eating cakes like this and always thought they looked rather dull. I much preferred chocolate cake with lashings of buttercream. The older I get however, the more I have grown to love tea loaves in their various guises. Whilst I obviously still love chocolate cake, I have numerous wonderful tea loaves on my website:

• the one I grew up with, a Bara Brith from Wales.
• a Christmas Bara Brith, I call Bara Nadolig
• I have a recipe for a Barmbrack – Báirín Breac from Ireland
• my Honey and Fig Fruit Loaf with Pecan Nuts is sweetened purely with honey.
• a delicious Vegan Tea Loaf with Chai Spice and Walnuts.
• I even have Buckingham Palace Tea Bread on my site.

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How to make Huffsie Fruited Tea Loaf from Shetland

Where is this recipe from?

This particular recipe is by Marian Armitage, a Shetland native, and it is featured in the booklet, ‘A Taste of Shetland’. However, I came across the recipe on Lavender and Lovage’s website. Karen was travelling in Shetland when she first ate this cake at a charity Sunday afternoon tea on one of the islands. To read more about her trip and to check out her wonderful website and recipes, please see here.

Collect all your ingredients together:

• mixed dried fruit
• tea, or fruit juice if you prefer
• soft brown sugar
• unsalted butter
• treacle
• plain/all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• mixed spice
• fine salt
• eggs

Now make this wonderful fruit loaf:

1. Two hours to 24 hours before you bake the bread: weigh the dried fruit into a saucepan. Pour in the tea and leave to soak, covered, for a minimum of an hour, or up to 24 hours.
2. An hour before you bake the bread: weigh the sugar, butter and treacle into the saucepan with the dried fruit and tea. Bring slowly to the brisk simmer and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Cover and leave for another hour, to cool.
3. When you are ready to make the cake: preheat oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 (fan 150°C) and grease and line a 1 x 900g/2lb loaf tin. Alternatively use a cake tin liner.
4. Weigh the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and salt into a bowl and mix well. Add the fruit mixture and fold into the flour.
5. Beat the eggs and mix into the cake batter.
6. Transfer to the lined 900g/2lb loaf tin and level the surface. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the loaf has risen and is golden brown in colour.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
8. Delicious served sliced, or with some salted butter, perhaps even some added jam. It is also wonderful served with cheese.

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Made this recipe?

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