Tea brack is the most forgiving bake in the Irish repertoire, a loaf you can measure by eye and still get right, built on dried fruit left to swell for an hour in a mug of hot tea. Sultanas, raisins, chopped apricots, dates, and almonds go in with a grating of nutmeg, and an hour in the oven later, you have something best eaten warm, thickly buttered, with another cup beside it.
"Put the kettle on!" A phrase used every day in every house in Ireland. Everyone knows it means "Make a cup of tea!"
Are you a Barry's tea family or a Lyons one?
Tea covers all ails - sympathy, encouragement, a little chat, family crises, bereavement or celebration. What would we do without it?
Our emigrants ask that Barry's tea is sent to them in their new homeland but then complain that it tastes different. "It's the water" is the usual explanation.
But tea also tastes different whether you use tea bags or tea leaves.
Whether it's Barry's or Lyons.
Whether you put the milk in first or last.
Whether you drink from a china cup or a mug.
Whether you use a teapot or not.
And don't forget about the tea cozy.
The Irish drink a higher grade of tea than our neighbors in the UK. This is apparently because during WWII the British had to make do with a cheaper blend, which they then grew accustomed to, and so never changed back once the war was over.
We know full well that you can drink a cuppa at literally any time of day or night, with just about any snack, but some do go better than others. An old favorite is a tea brack, also often enjoyed by that rare species known as non-tea drinkers.
Irish tea brack recipe
Irish tea brack recipe - Ingredients
Using a small loaf tin (an old-fashioned 1lb tin)
- 1 mug of hot tea poured over 1 mug full of dried fruit (sultanas, California raisins mixed),
- A handful of unsulphured dried apricots chopped (unsulphured are much nicer than the orange ones and are usually available in health food shops),
- A handful of whole almonds, chopped,
- A handful of dates chopped,
- Some grated nutmeg
- 100g butter
- 75g brown sugar
- Two eggs
- 150g flour
- 1tsp baking powder
Irish tea brack recipe - Method
- Soak the fruit, nuts, and spice in the hot tea for an hour or until the fruit has absorbed most of the liquid. Melt 100g butter and add to the tea and fruit. Add 75g of brown sugar and two beaten eggs.
- Fold in 150g of sieved flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Pour the mix into the greased tin and bake in a preheated oven at 160C for approximately an hour or until a skewer comes out clean when put in the center of the cake.
- This is the most forgiving cake to make, so you don't have to stress over measurements. I often measure by eye and it always works.
- Cut a big slice, butter generously, and enjoy with your favorite cup of tea.
How much do you love a slice of brack with a cup of tea? Share the love in the comments section, below.
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* Originally published in 2014. Updated in 2026.