Tea soaked fruit cake

We make this light and fruity fruit cake with our Fairtrade breakfast tea, blended exclusively for us in partnership with Clipper, but you can use your own favourite tea in this recipe.

10 minutes prep. time
60–75 minutes cooking time
Serves 12
Cakes, bakes & desserts

Tea soaked fruit cake — Fruit cake made with National Trust Fairtrade tea | © National Trust

8 tea bags
300ml boiling water
500g mixed dried fruit
500g self-raising flour
325g butter or margarine
250g caster sugar
2 tsp ground mixed spice
5 eggs
1 tsp salt

Top tip

If you leave the fruit to soak overnight this will impart more of the tea flavour to the fruit.

Step 1

Place the tea bags in a large bowl and add the boiling water. Stir to make a very strong tea then add the mixed dried fruit and stir well, leave to soak until the liquid is cold.

Step 2

Once the tea bag mixture has cooled, remove the tea bags, give the fruit a stir and then put to one side.

Step 3

Preheat your oven to 175°C (155°C fan/gas mark 3–4) then grease and line a 23cm (9") springform cake tin.

Step 4

Place the flour and butter or margarine in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub the fat into the flour until evenly distributed and the mix looks like breadcrumbs.

Step 5

Add the sugar and mixed spice, then stir well.

Step 6

Add the eggs and the soaked fruit, along with any remaining liquid, and stir until evenly combined.

Step 7

Pour the mixture into your cake tin and level the top, place in the oven and bake for around 1 hour or until the cake is risen, golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.