3 c Golden raisins
3 c Dark raisins
2 c Firmly packed light brown
-sugar
1 c Cold strong breakfast tea
1/2 c Irish whiskey or Jack
-Daniels
4 c Unbleached all-purpose flour
4 ts Baking powder
lg Dash salt
1 ts Grated nutmeg
1 ts Grated allspice
3 Eggs; beaten or equivalent
-in egg
Substitute
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Terry says she has made her reputation as a great baker on this cake alone.
“I bake this British tea cake every month and many more times during the
Christmas holidays. For those who love a good raisin bread, it’s that and a
bit more. For those who don’t like fruitcake, it serves the occasion
without being sticky and cloyingly sweet–which is most folks’ complaint
with fruitcake. It packs well, keeps its taste, it’s pretty, and it’s
practically foolproof. You can dress it up with icing, or slice it thin,
and have it for breakfast, toasted. It also travels well. I use a long pan,
although a bundt pan works well too.”
Soak the raisins, brown sugar, tea, and whiskey in a large bowl for 12
hours or overnight. The next day, sift together the flour, baking powder,
salt, nutmeg, and allspice and add to the raisin mixture along with the
beaten eggs (or egg substitute to make it totally zero cholesterol) and
lemon rind. Set oven at 300oF. Put batter into greased pan, and bake for 90
minutes. When done, remove from pan and let cool on rack. You can leave it
simple, dress it up with icing, or drizzle with a honey-and-warm-water
mixture.
Yields
1 Servings