Conway Loaf (Fruit Loaf)

I can take no credit for this recipe, but it’s so nice I have to share it.

At the education centre the children go to sit their exams there is a little kitchen. It’s not really a cafe, there’s some staff there that make tea and toast for the kids. They also make little cakes and buns for the kids, no charge at all. They make a fruit loaf and one day I was in in paying for some exams and asked about it. They gave me a piece of paper with the recipe on it. I don’t know if it’s original to them or if this is a well known recipe and they rewrote it, but that’s where I got it from.

I hope you enjoy it, it’s worth the very small amount of prior preparation to make it. Despite the cake’s rugged looks it is incredibly more-ish and I recommend you actually make two.

Ingredients

Conversations are exactly how they were written for me

250g (9oz) sultanas

250g (9oz) currents

250g (9oz) caster sugar

375ml (13fl oz) cold tea

1 egg

500g (1lb 2oz) self raising flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Method

Day Before (or 8 hours prior)

Make tea and let it cool.

Mix the sultanas, currents and caster sugar in a large bowl with the tea. Leave overnight.

Bake Day

Heat the oven to 180C (160c fan oven) or 350F.

Add the egg to the bowl of mixed fruit and mix in well.

Mix in the flour and other ingredients.

Once well combined spoon the mix into a lined loaf tin.

Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 10minutes until firm to the touch.

All to cool fully on a wire rack before slicing.

You will not regret.

Notes : I did not have currents so I substituted them for sultanas, so my cake was all sultanas. I also did not have fresh nutmeg so I reduced the amount to 1/2 teaspoon and used dried nutmeg from the supermarket.