This traditional Scottish Fruit Loaf Recipe (aka Tea Bread) has got to be one of the easiest ever. It is a cross between bread and cake with a little bit denser texture and rather delicious when spread with butter and served with a nice cup of tea!
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I love this Fruit Loaf Recipe that I got from my mum (yes, another one from my mum). And one of the reasons I love it is the fact that it is sooooo easy. You can literally throw the ingredients together in a pan, melt the butter, mix it, and pop it in the oven.
Traditional Scottish Fruit Loaf Recipe
This is actually a very traditional Scottish recipe that my mum (who is not Scottish but does live in Scotland) had begged from one of the SWRI ladies (Scottish Women’s Rural Institute) quite a while ago. And believe me, these ladies certainly know how to bake!
It really does make the yummiest fruit bread which your family and friends will love you for.
You can go ahead and use either UK or US cup sizes for this recipe as it will not affect the end results.
(I have also now added cups and grams to the printable recipe card + an explanation about the differences between the UK Vs US Cup sizes)
Scottish Fruit Loaf
Equipment
- 2lb Loaf Tin
- Saucepan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Greaseproof Paper
- Measuring Cup
- Teaspoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raisins (200g)
- 1 cup Sultanas (200g)
- 1 cup Sugar (200g)
- 1 cup Water (250ml)
- 1 tsp (heaped) Mixed Spices
- 1 tsp (heaped) Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp (level) Baking Soda
- 4 oz Margarine (115 grams)
- 1 cup Self Raising Flour (120g)
- 1 cup Plain Flour (120g)
- 2 small eggs (or 1 large)
Instructions
- Add dried fruit, sugar, water, spices, margarine and baking soda into a saucepan
- Gently heat until the margarine melts and the sugar has dissolved (do not allow to boil)
- Allow mixture in the saucepan to cool for at least 15 minutes
- Grease and line the 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
- Put the self-raising and plain flour into a large bowl then add the beaten egg and cooled mixture from the saucepan
- Gently mix the ingredients until you get a smooth mixture with no lumps of flour
- Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and place in the center of the preheated oven
- Bake until the top has nicely browned (approx 1hr 15 to 1hr 30 minutes). If you have a fan oven you may want to turn it down a little or take it out the oven a little earlier (you can use a skewer to check when it is done – when the skewer comes out clean then the fruit loaf is ready)
- Take out of the oven, allow to cool a little then turn out on a cooling rack
- Slice the fruit loaf, spread with generous amounts of butter and enjoy with a cup of tea!
Notes
Nutrition
Fruit Loaf Variation Idea
Another little variation for this recipe is to replace the water with tea which gives a slightly different flavour. I like sometimes like to add earl grey tea which gives a lovely fragrant citrus twist to the fruit bread.
How Long Can You Keep Fruit Loaf?
Fruit loaf keeps really well and you can keep it in an airtight container for a few weeks (I normally wrap mine in greaseproof paper before placing it in the container). In fact, when my mum gave me the recipe she told me to wait a few days as the taste and texture actually improves. We, however, can hardly wait for the fruit loaf to cool before helping ourselves to large chunks – yum!. 🙂
How To Freeze The Fruit Bread
This fruit bread freezes well and I very often make 2 at a time and throw one in the freezer for a later date. I like to freeze mine already sliced so that I can grab a few slices at a time.
To freeze it I normally take the fruit bread out of the Loaf Tin and allow the loaf to cool on a rack, slice it, then wrap the individual slices tightly in Cling Film and then seal in a freezer bag or plastic container.
What I really love about this Scottish Fruit Loaf Recipe is that it is very cheap to make and I always have the ingredients sitting in the cupboard.
I often enjoy a slice at breakfast time or give it to the kids as a snack when they come home from school.
Serve It During A High Tea
The fact that this recipe is so yummy and it can be made ahead it’s also rather nice to serve it together with other cakes and sandwiches during a High Tea (my Dutch Apple Pie, Cinnamon Rolls, & British Flapjacks recipes are also nice for this).
If you do go ahead and make this recipe I’d love to know how you get on because I’m sure it will become a firm family favourite.
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Best fruit loaf ever, so easy to prepare & the fact that you can freeze it is a bonus
Is this US Cups?
Hi, I just double-checked and I used the European cup size (which is also the same as the UK/Australian/Canadian sizes ) which is 250ml per cup. In the US it is a little bit smaller – 240ml.
The difference is so small that for most of my recipes, it really would not make a difference. Also as long as you are using the same cup size the proportions will be correct.
I have added more information about this to the Scottish Tea Loaf printed recipe card. There are instructions if you want to be more precise and a link to a conversion chart. I hope this helps 🙂