Irish Breakfast Tea Brack
Tea brack (barmbrack) is a moist, lightly spiced fruit loaf made with dried fruit soaked in strong Irish Breakfast tea—the original tea cake.
Tea brack—often called barmbrack—is one of the most quintessentially Irish home-bakes. Dried fruit is soaked overnight in strong black tea, then folded into a simple batter with brown sugar, an egg, and warm spices. The result is a dense, fudgy fruit loaf with no added butter and a deep amber color.
Irish Breakfast tea is the soul of this cake. Its malty, brisk character does triple duty: it rehydrates and plumps the dried fruit, it stains the crumb a glorious tea-brown, and its tannins cut the sweetness so the cake never becomes cloying.
Use a mix of sultanas, raisins, and currants for variety. Some bakers add mixed peel or chopped dates—both are traditional. A pinch of mixed spice (or a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a tiny bit of clove) ties it all together.
Wrap the cooled brack in parchment and let it mature a day before slicing. It only gets better. Serve thickly sliced with cold salted butter and—of course—another pot of strong Irish Breakfast.
Ingredients
- 250g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants)
- 50g mixed peel or chopped dates (optional)
- 300 ml hot, strongly brewed Irish Breakfast tea (3 bags steeped 5 min in 300 ml water)
- 150g light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 275g self-rising flour (or 275g plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder)
- 1 tsp mixed spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/4 tsp allspice)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp orange marmalade (optional, for glaze)
How to make it
- 1The night before: place dried fruit and mixed peel in a bowl. Pour the hot strong tea over them, stir, cover, and leave to soak overnight (8–12 hours).
- 2Next day: preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). Line a 900g loaf tin with parchment.
- 3Stir the brown sugar into the soaked fruit until dissolved. Beat in the egg.
- 4Sift flour, mixed spice, and salt into the fruit mixture. Fold gently until just combined—do not overmix.
- 5Spoon into the loaf tin and level the top.
- 6Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean and the top is deep amber. Cover loosely with foil if it browns too fast.
- 7Cool 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a rack. For a shiny top, warm the marmalade and brush over the still-warm loaf.
- 8Wrap in parchment and rest 24 hours before slicing. Serve in thick slices with cold butter and a mug of Irish Breakfast.
Want to learn more about Irish Breakfast? Visit its full profile.
Back to Irish BreakfastYou might also like
What to Eat with Irish Breakfast Tea
Irish Breakfast's strong, malty, Assam-led punch is built for the full Irish fry, buttered soda bread, beef stew, and dark oatmeal cookies.
Traditional Irish Soda Bread
A rustic, four-ingredient loaf with a thick crust and tender crumb—designed for slathering with butter and dunking in a strong cup of Irish Breakfast tea.