Cranberry and Walnut fruit loaf (or Bara Brith with a twist!)
A stumble of creativity (I can't say it was planned!) has given my traditional Bara Brith recipe a twist with spectacular results! So much so, that orders are in from the family.
I had been thinking of ways to make a fruit loaf with a Christmas theme, and having picked up two huge bags of cranberries in the Holland and Barrett penny sale, I decided that this winter fruit would be a great touch. This alongside some walnut halves, and we would have the basis of a proper Christmas treat.
This was the prototype for a christmas gift package...
Cranberry and Walnut fruit loaf (or Bara Brith with a twist!)
8 oz raisins and sultanas
4 oz dried cranberries
3 oz light brown sugar
Mango and apple juice to cover fruit (about 7 fl oz) - I have used orange juice in the past, rather than tea as is traditional. You can also just use water, but that's a bit boring, isn't it?! Add flavour.
8 oz self raising flour
1 egg
A good handful of walnuts
Glace cherry halves to decorate
Weigh out the fruit, using your desired mix. As long as you have 12 oz, you can use what you like.
Add the sugar and the juice so that the fruit is covered when stirred.
Leave the fruit to soak overnight, or even longer if you need to (sometimes mine is standing for about 24 hours!).
When you are ready, sift in the flour and fold into the fruit mix.
Break in the egg and stir that in thoroughly.
Once you have mixed everything together, pour it into a greased loaf tin, dot the top with the cherries, and bake at 150 C for 50 mins.
At this point, use a skewer to assess how the centre is cooking: if it comes out clean, it is cooked, if not, give it 10 more mins, and then try again.
I find that depending on the amount of juice the fruit has absorbed, the time can change. Use the skewer to help you decide when it is ready.
Allow to cool before cutting and enjoying with a decent cup of tea!
I had been thinking of ways to make a fruit loaf with a Christmas theme, and having picked up two huge bags of cranberries in the Holland and Barrett penny sale, I decided that this winter fruit would be a great touch. This alongside some walnut halves, and we would have the basis of a proper Christmas treat.
This was the prototype for a christmas gift package...
Cranberry and Walnut fruit loaf (or Bara Brith with a twist!)
8 oz raisins and sultanas
4 oz dried cranberries
3 oz light brown sugar
Mango and apple juice to cover fruit (about 7 fl oz) - I have used orange juice in the past, rather than tea as is traditional. You can also just use water, but that's a bit boring, isn't it?! Add flavour.
8 oz self raising flour
1 egg
A good handful of walnuts
Glace cherry halves to decorate
Weigh out the fruit, using your desired mix. As long as you have 12 oz, you can use what you like.
Add the sugar and the juice so that the fruit is covered when stirred.
Leave the fruit to soak overnight, or even longer if you need to (sometimes mine is standing for about 24 hours!).
When you are ready, sift in the flour and fold into the fruit mix.
Break in the egg and stir that in thoroughly.
Once you have mixed everything together, pour it into a greased loaf tin, dot the top with the cherries, and bake at 150 C for 50 mins.
 |
| In the tin and ready to bake |
At this point, use a skewer to assess how the centre is cooking: if it comes out clean, it is cooked, if not, give it 10 more mins, and then try again.
I find that depending on the amount of juice the fruit has absorbed, the time can change. Use the skewer to help you decide when it is ready.
Allow to cool before cutting and enjoying with a decent cup of tea!
 |
| A golden top complete with cherry - time to eat! :-) |
P.S. This is great with a few thin slices of some special cheese. Sainsbury's are doing a great Wensleydale with orange and cranberry (I guess it's a Christmas special). It works really well with the fruit-packed cake. With no butter in the recipe you can afford to add a bit of dairy produce!
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