APRICOT AND CRANBERRY TEA BREAD

This is another one of the cakes I prepared for my mother's afternoon tea with her friends.  I knew it would be very popular here, so all returns were accepted gratefully!!

It comes from the fantastic "Four Seasons Cookery Book" by Margaret Costa, and hits that lovely spot between cake and bread.  Ms Costa suggests eating it with cream cheese and very thin bitter chocolate, but it was eaten either plain or with banana here.  I have already been asked to make it again - so that's a good sign!!

The original recipe called for all dried apricot, but I used half apricot and half cranberries, I felt it gave an extra layer taste wise and I thought that the little red flecks looked great beside the orange colored ones.

I made this cake using lbs and oz - not really sure why, perhaps it's just that it felt so old fashioned!

Apricot and Cranberry Tea Bread

2 1/2oz (70g)             dried apricots (chopped finely)
2 1/2oz (70g)             dried cranberries
12oz (350g)               self raising flour
1/4 tsp                       salt
3oz (85g)                   caster sugar
2oz (55g)                   coarsely chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
2                                eggs
9tbsp (135ml)             milk
2oz (55g)                   melted butter
zest of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 180 C
Line and prepare a 2lb (900g) loaf tin

Soak the apricots is hot water overnight (I didn't bother my apricots were very moist).
Sift the flour and salt.
Stir in the sugar, apricots and cranberries, then the nuts and lemon zest.
Beat the eggs into the milk.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix gently to a slack batter.
Fold in the melted butter.
Pour into the prepared tin, and bake for 75 minutes, or until a skewer (or stick of spaghetti) comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn out to a wire rack.

Enjoy