The Search for the Perfect Bara Brith

BARA BRITH
Bara Brith means 'Speckled Bread,'  but you'll find some people calling it Welsh Fruit Cake or even Cacen Pwdin.  Like Welsh Cakes, I think we've lost track of the number of recipes for Bara Brith we've come across.  If you find a recipe passed down through a family then you can't go too far wrong because it’s tried and tested and loved. Either way, it's lovely! 

Ingredients:

1 lb/450g Dried Mixed fruit
9 oz/250g Brown Sugar
1/2 Pint/300ml Warm Black Tea
1 lb/450g Self Raising Flour
2 Teaspoons of All Spice
Grated Lemon Rind
1 Egg from a Welsh hen, beaten 

Method:   

Soak the fruit in a large bowl with the tea and sugar overnight. Next day - preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Grease a 2lb/900g Loaf Tin or line with greaseproof paper/baking parchment.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl of fruit soaked in tea, and beat well. Pour the mixture into the tin, and bake for 1 and a 1/2 hours - until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to stand for ten minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.    

Make a nice cup of tea .... slice the Bara Brith and spread liberally with Welsh Butter.