Irish Tea Cake (Barmbrack)

Barmbrack comes in tons of varieties, from light and yeasted to super-dense and fruitcake-like, which is what I attempted here. It's traditionally a Halloween treat, and my experience was, unfortunately, equal parts trick and treat. This recipe improves on the original video version, which my Irish friends on YouTube said needed baking soda, more tea, and much less whole grain flour. Of course, top with butter and enjoy alongside a cup of hot tea.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 316 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup dried cherries
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups boiling water
• ¼ cup dried currants
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Irish whiskey
• 2 teaspoons honey, or to taste
• 2 Irish breakfast tea bags
• ¼ cup spelt flour

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place tea bags in a heatproof measuring cup. Pour in boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and let cool until barely warm.

Step 2

Combine currants, cherries, and raisins in a bowl. Pour warm tea over the fruit. Let sit for 2 hours. Drain fruit, reserving 2 to 4 tablespoons of the tea.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Thoroughly butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with buttered parchment paper.

Step 4

Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add brown sugar, egg, milk, reserved tea, lemon and orange zest, whiskey, vanilla, and butter. Mix until flour is mostly incorporated. Stir in fruit until just combined.

Step 5

Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Tap pan against the counter.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Drizzle honey over the top. Let cool in the pan before slicing.