Name: Irish Tea Brack
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (8 oz) brewed hot tea; 2 cups raisins; 1 1/2 cups dates, chopped; 3/4 cup packed brown sugar; 2 cups whole wheat flour; 1 Tablespoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 large egg; 1 Tablespoon sugar

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Tea soaked fruits are baked up in a whole wheat quick bread for a delicious breakfast or tea time treat. Irish tea brack is perfect for St Patrick’s Day or any day!

First slice of Irish tea brack being lifted out of round cakelike loaf, showing lots of fruit in the interior.

This fun recipe is a cross between a coffee cake and a quick sweet bread. It is loaded with dried fruits and whole grains. It reminds me a little bit of Raisin Bran in cake form.

I am telling you, it is so good. It is perfect for tea time or a yummy breakfast.

slice of raisin and date filled Irish tea brack on plate with grapes and strawberries.

Top ‘o the morning to you! Now that it is March, it seems like a few Irish recipes are in order. I think everyone has a favorite way of doing corned beef and cabbage, so I didn’t want to go right there.

I always love trying something a little bit different and fun. So, this brack seemed like a wonderful option.

Irish tea brack ingredients including bowl of flour and sugar, raisins and dates soaking in tea, tea bags, sugar and an egg ready to be made into batter.

If you haven’t heard of tea brack before, you are not alone. You should certainly get familiar though!

A brack is a fruit filled breakfast cake that goes great with a hot mug of tea or coffee. It looks like it might be too sweet, but it really isn’t.

It has a texture similar to a quick bread, but doesn’t have any of the butter or oil. The flavor reminds me of a bowl of raisin bran in cake form.

Whole round Irish tea brack with sugar crusted top on glass cake plate ready to serve.

It kind of makes me want to eat it with milk and a spoon! But really it is great on it’s own with a cup of coffee.

You do have to start this relatively early if you want to make it all at once. You want the raisins and dates to soak in the tea for a while to become plump.

There is no reason why you couldn’t soak them overnight in the fridge to speed up the process in the morning. Then all you would have to do is stir in the rest of the ingredients and bake it. Easy peasy!

slice of tea brack cake with raisins and dates on plate with fork, bite missing.

The brack is good served while still warm, but is also great at room temperature. Have it for breakfast.

Have it for a snack with a glass of milk or some tea. Heck have it for dinner, nobody is watching!

For another great twist on a fruity quick bread, try grandma’s date nut loaves. They are baked in can for a cool retro twist!

More fruity quick bread and coffee cake recipes:

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Applesauce Oatmeal Bread With Vanilla Honey Butter

Great-Great-Grandma's Dutch Apple Cake

Peach Breakfast Cake, a New Take on an Old Favorite

Yield: 8 Servings

Irish Tea Brack

This fun recipe is a cross between a coffee cake and a quick sweet bread. It is loaded with dried fruits and whole grains. It reminds me a little bit of Raisin Bran in cake form. I am telling you, it is so good. It is perfect for tea time or a yummy breakfast.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz) brewed hot tea
2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups dates, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon sugar

Instructions

Pour hot tea over raisins and dates. Let sit for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the fruit has a chance to soften and plump. You could do this the night before and let soak in the fridge overnight.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and fruit along with any liquid they were soaking in.
Stir in the egg until everything is uniformly incorporated.
Spread in a greased 8″ round cake pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 60-70 minutes.
Turn brack out of pan and cool on a wire rack.

Irish Tea Brack