Apricot and Orange Barmbrack for Hallowe'en - Trick? Treat!

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It’s my own fault. I didn’t put a sign up saying “Hands Off!” so when I went to photograph my latest creation, the barmbrack fairies had visited and made off with several hefty slices. Not to worry. Despite being a traditional Hallowe’en treat, barmbrack makes regular appearances in my household so it was no effort to knock up another batch.

A couple of years ago, it got fancy, with ingredients such as Earl Grey Tea and candied peel (check out that recipe here). This year, for a number of reasons (laziness... recession... unwillingness to face a busy supermarket) it has gone back to basics. Strangely enough, my taste testers tell me “Best Yet!”.

Many Hallowe’en traditions are to do with predicting luck and love for the coming year, and to this end it is traditional to hide various trinkets in the loaf – a button, coins, a match-stick, a gold ring etc - but with gold, and dentistry so costly, and a modern sensitivity to peoples' feelings, you might like to skip this tradition!

Below I’ve given the ingredients for one x 2LB loaf but my advice is to double the quantities (but not the cooking time) and make two loaves as they vanish pretty quickly...

For one x 2LB barmbrack you will need...
...to pre-heat the oven to 150°C at step 2

225g sultanas

75g ready to eat dried apricots

100g runny honey

100g brown sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

50mls fresh orange juice

250mls strong black tea (I used Bewley’s Fair Trade)

275g plain flour

10g baking powder

1 large egg, beaten 

a little butter for greasing the tin, if not using a paper liner 

1                    Weigh the fruit, honey and sugar into a large mixing bowl and add the grated orange peel and orange juice. Pour in the hot, freshly-brewed tea. Give it a stir, cover, and leave to soak in for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

2                    Pre-heat the oven and while it is warming up, lightly butter a 2Lb loaf tin and line the base with greaseproof/silicon paper (or use a loaf tin liner).

3                    Add the flour, baking powder and egg to the soaked sugared fruit and mix until well combined.

4                    Transfer the mixture into the lined tin and using a spatula or the back of a spoon, level the surface.

5                    Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Test by inserting a cocktail stick or thin skewer into the centre. It will come out clean if the cake is cooked through. If not, return it to the oven for 10 minutes and test again.

6                    When the barmbrack is cooked, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before turning it out of the tin onto a cooling rack.

 

When completely cool, wrap in clingfilm and leave – if you can resist – for 24 hours before eating. This luscious loaf is fat free so do not hesitate to slather a slice with salty Irish butter. Happy Hallowe’en!

Happy Hallowe'en? It is now!

 

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