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Marylou’s Brack for the next gemeration

60-70 minutes Cook
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A sweet memory and recipe from Gem Brand Ambassador, Orla Drumgoole:

This recipe is a special one for us. Dad had dementia for the last ten years of his life. We all used to visit at weekends, and my lovely sister in law Marylou never called without leaving behind a tea brack. Through those years I was never home but there was brack in the house.

Now when tea brack season comes around each year, it never fails to bring back fond memories of mam and dad, for all of us. I asked Marylou for her recipe, and have tweaked it as I always do to every recipe I get – I can’t help myself! I am sharing it with my lovely daughter Bláthnaid, who loves nostalgic bakes.

I hope you try it, and when you eat a slice, smothered in good Irish butter, spare a thought for my lovely mam and dad.

Be warned – this one is not for eating the night it’s made – see the method below!

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Marylou’s Brack

Marylou’s Brack

katrina
prep time
30 mins
cooking time
60-70 minutes
servings
10
total time
1hr 40mins

Equipment

  • kitchen scales

  • A large and a smaller bowl

  • jug/cup for the tea

  • Spoon to stir with

  • measuring spoon -  ½ tsp

  • wooden spoon

  • 2lb loaf tin

  • parchment

  • tinfoil

Ingredients

  • 150g Gem Gourmet Raisins

  • 150g Gem Gourmet Sultanas

  • 100g Gem Chopped Apricots

  • 100g Gem Chopped Glacé Cherries

  • zest of one orange

  • 320ml hot tea

  • 30ml orange liqueur or orange juice

  • 125g Gem Soft Dark Brown Sugar

  • 220g Gem Self Raising Flour

  • 1 generous tsp pumpkin spice or spice of your choice - I used alls pice

  • 1 medium egg

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan
2
Make the hot tea you can use 1 or 2 teabags, depending on how strong you’d like the tea to be.
3
Add the raisins, sultanas, apricots, glacé cherries and orange zest to the large bowl and pour the tea over them.
4
Add the orange juice or liqueur to the mix and set aside. Leave to soak for ten minutes.
5
In the smaller bowl mix the flour, sugar and spice together
6
When the fruit has cooled enough, add the egg and mix well.
7
Finally add the dry mixture into the wet and stir well to fully combine.
8
Pour the mix into a parchment lined loaf tin.
9
Bake for 60 minutes. A skewer should come out almost clean when it is done. After 60 minutes, if it still needs time, turn off the heat and leave in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.
10
Leave to cool in the tin. Here’s the hard part. Once cold, wrap in parchment and tinfoil and leave for two days before eating. It allows the cake to become moist, sticky and delicious. You can eat it once cooled, but it really benefits from the wait.

Notes

You can soak the fruits overnight if you wish to ensure all of that lovely liquid soaks the fruit fully.
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