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I tried a wont let you down recipe from Bake Offs Nancy Birtwhistle that you start the night before

You end up with one fruit loaf to enjoy now and two to keep in the tin, give away or freeze

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News

Deborah Hall

05:00, 09 Aug 2026

[Lemon Tea Bread loaves made from a Nancy Birtwhistle recipe]

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Lemon Tea Bread loaves made from a Nancy Birtwhistle recipe(Image: Deborah Hall/Hull Live)

I wont beat about the bush, we like a nice fruit cake in our house. If its one that goes down well with a hunk of cheese, all the better.

Having a bit of a browse through the recipe section of Great British Bake Off champion Nancy Birtwhistles website, I happened upon her Lemon Tea Bread. It sounded pretty simple to bake, needed no fancy ingredients and she said was low cost to make.

Nancy said: These tasty little loaves will not let you down. In that case, Nancy, lets give it a go, I thought.

The queen of the Bake Off tent in 2014, who is now as much known for her eco cleaning hacks as her bakes, said the fruit loaves (the recipe makes three 1lb ones) cost not much more than 1 each to make. I was delighted to find mine were only going to cost the amount of electricity needed to put the oven on as I had everything in - bar the chopped nuts, but I did without those.

The only planning required is deciding when you want to bake your Lemon Tea Bread, as there is a tiny bit of prep the night before. You need to soak the dried fruit, with lemon juice and zest, in some hot tea with sugar and spice added - it plumps up the fruit ready for use.

[Nicely baked and rustic-looking]

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Nicely baked and rustic-looking(Image: Deborah Hall/Hull Live)

The smell of this in the bowl was incredible, a little reminiscent of Christmas cake but amazingly lemony. I used Earl Grey tea for the soaking liquid and it too has an aroma all of its own.

The next day, when I had the oven on for something else (Nancy would pat me on the back for that) I just had to line my loaf tins, beat some eggs and oil together, add this to the fruit mixture and then sift in some flour - all done in a jiffy.

I heeded Nancys advice to bake for one hour exactly and my rustic-looking little loaves were done to a turn. When it came to cutting one (the other two went into the freezer) I also followed Nancys instructions to use a sharp serrated bread knife and slice as you would bread.

I was maybe a little hasty and the slices crumbled a bit, but the taste of the loaf (we buttered it) was luscious - you really got the tea and the lemon coming through - and it was no bother picking up the crumbs with a licked finger.

Lemon Tea Bread - by Nancy Birtwhistle

Ingredients

800g mixed dried fruit and peel

2 lemons finely grated zest and juice

200g dark brown soft sugar

250ml hot tea (Nancy uses English Breakfast but try Earl Grey or Darjeerling)

tsp ground mixed spice

2 eggs

60ml vegetable oil

450g self raising flour (or gluten free flour)

80g chopped mixed nuts (lightly toasted)

Method

Start the night before. In a large roomy mixing bowl place the fruit and lemon juice and zests. In a separate bowl place the brown sugar and spice then pour over the hot tea. Stir until the sugar dissolves then pour this over the mixed fruits.

Give a good mix then leave overnight or at least six hours. The fruit will plump up and absorb much of the liquid.

When ready to mix and bake, preheat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade (conventional oven). You will need 3 x 1lb loaf tins either paper lined or brushed with lining paste [you can find Nancys recipe for that on her social media] or for a half quantity of the recipe brush a 2lb loaf tin with lining paste.

[Deborah Hall's version of Lemon Tea Bread - delicious when cut and buttered and served with some cheese]

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Deborah Hall's version of Lemon Tea Bread - delicious when cut and buttered and served with some cheese(Image: Deborah Hall/Hull Live)

Beat together the eggs and the oil and pour this over the fruit and stir well. Sift over the flour and fold this in and finally add in the nuts. Give everything a good stir and divide between the three tins or 2lb tin.

Bake for 1 hour exactly or 1 hour 15 minutes for the 2lb loaf. The cakes should be leaving the sides of the tin, may have a crack along the centre but will feel firm to the touch. If you place a metal skewer into the cake it should come out clean and feel hot to the touch.

Place the cakes, still in their tins, onto cooling racks and leave to cool completely then pop them out of their tins. Once completely cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and place in a tin stored in a cool place.

These cakes improve and slice easier after being stored for a day or two. These cakes freeze well and make great little gifts.

Nancys tip - For clean cut slices use a sharp serrated bread knife and slice as you would bread. Don't press too hard and take your time. A blunt knife or quick cut and the cake will crumble. Fingers of tea bread also make a great addition to an afternoon tea selection of treats.

Find this and more recipes at www.nancybirtwhistle.co.uk

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