In this recipe series, we bring you recipes by Julia Toon, culinary motivator and author of the book ‘Good Eating: A Taste of Qatar’. New recipes every week, straight from Jules of the Kitchen.
Gluten-free Barmbrack
A teatime favourite I grew up with and a cake my Mother loved to make as it is so easy and so delicious. Barmbrack, being a traditional afternoon Welsh tea cake, is bursting with fruit that has been soaked overnight in strong black tea. It is slowly baked and served with lashings of butter! This recipe uses gluten-free flour for those with gluten intolerance.
Serves 12 slices
Preparation: overnight soak plus 10 mins mixing
Baking time: 2 hours
Oven temperature: 150ºC
INGREDIENTS
500 g mixed dried fruit – raisins, sultanas, dried peel
200 g soft brown sugar
250 g gluten-free self-raising flour – sifted
1 egg – beaten
200ml strong black tea
INSTRUCTIONS
Night before baking
Soak dried fruit and brown sugar overnight in the black tea.
Prepare baking tin
On the day of baking, lightly grease (butter or oil) a 10 cm x 20 cm loaf tin, and line with baking paper.
Make cake
Spoon all the cake mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Level the top.
Bake
Cook slowly in the oven for up to 2 hours, preferably on the middle shelf.
Cool and store
Allow cooling in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto cake wrack. When cold store in an airtight container or wrap with foil. Leave overnight before eating.
Serve
Deliciously sliced thickly on its own or smothered with fresh butter or a non-dairy alternative.
Jules Tips: This fruit loaf tastes better when left a day but as it is made with gluten-free flour, it will only really keep a maximum of 3 days unlike when made with wholewheat flour.
Contributed by: Julia Toon, Jules of the Kitchen
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