Bara Brith or Welsh Tea Bread

Since my husband's background is Welsh and because this type of cake looked interesting I thought I'd try one. It's pretty good...a cross between loaf cake and fruitcake.

Heads up, this needs to be started the night before.

Ingredients:

2 cups raisins and chopped candied cherries, or any dried fruit
1 teabag
1 cup sugar
1  1/4 cups boiling water
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 egg 
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp orange juice
zest of 1 orange
3  1/4 cups flour
5 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice

Pour the boiling water over the teabag and steep for 4 minutes. Place the dried fruit in a bowl, remove the teabag from the boiling water and pour over fruit. Stir in sugar and let sit overnight.

The next day add carrot, egg, honey, orange juice and zest to the fruit and tea.

Sift flour, baking powder and spices together and mix into the wet ingredients.

Grease a 9 X 5" loaf pan and line with parchment (at least on the bottom) a pour the batter in.

Bake at 320F for 1  1/2 hours, cover loosely with foil if it starts to get too dark before the end of the baking time.

Cool on rack 10-15 minutes then remove from loaf pan with the help of the parchment paper and cool completely on rack before slicing.

Excellent with a cup of tea!