Mary Berry’s tea loaf is a dark, moist fruit loaf made with dried cranberries and sultanas soaked overnight in strong Earl Grey tea, then mixed with self-raising flour, light muscovado sugar and an egg. It bakes for about 1 hour 40 minutes and is served sliced and buttered.
The recipe comes from Mary Berry’s Simple Comforts (2020), where she calls it Tea Loaf with Cranberries & Sultanas. She writes that, spread with butter by the fire with her spaniels on the rug, “it’s my idea of heaven.” Earl Grey gives it a light bergamot note that ordinary black tea doesn’t have.
There’s no butter or oil in the mixture at all, so all the moisture comes from the fruit. That’s why the overnight soak matters: Berry leaves the fruit “until all the liquid has been absorbed.” If you rush it, the loaf comes out dry and crumbly instead of dense and sticky.
Mary Berry Tea Loaf Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy12
servings10
minutes1
hour40
minutes250
kcal2
hoursAn old-fashioned fat-free fruit loaf from Simple Comforts (2020). Once the fruit has soaked, it’s mixed in one bowl with a wooden spoon in about 5 minutes. It keeps for 2 days, freezes well, and slices best the day after baking.
Ingredients
175g (6oz) dried cranberries
175g (6oz) sultanas
300ml (10fl oz) strong Earl Grey tea
butter, for greasing
275g (10oz) self-raising flour
225g (8oz) light muscovado sugar
1 large egg, beaten
Directions
- Soak: Measure the dried fruit and tea into a bowl, stir and cover with cling film. Leave to soak overnight, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Prepare the tin: Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan/Gas 3). Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with butter and line it with baking paper.
- Mix and bake: Add the flour, sugar and egg to the fruit and mix well with a wooden spoon. Spoon into the tin, level the top, and bake for about 1 hour 40 minutes, until pale golden and firm to the touch.
- Cool: Run a palette knife round the edge of the loaf and leave it to cool slightly. Turn it out on to a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, slice and spread with butter.
Notes
- Time For Soaking: plus soaking overnight (our timing; Berry doesn’t give one).
FAQs
Why does the tea loaf bake for so long?
It’s a dense, wet mixture packed with soaked fruit, and it bakes at a low 160°C, so the middle needs time to cook through without the top burning. If the top browns before the hour and 40 minutes is up, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it. It’s done when it feels firm to the touch, as Berry says.
Can I use ordinary tea instead of Earl Grey?
Berry specifies strong Earl Grey for this loaf, and I’d stick with it, because the bergamot is what makes it taste different from other tea loaves. Her Borrowdale Teabread in the Baking Bible (2010) is the version made with plain strong tea. That one also uses sultanas, currants, raisins and wholemeal self-raising flour.
Can I make it ahead or freeze it?
Yes. Berry says it can be made up to 2 days ahead and “freezes well.” I think it slices more neatly the day after baking, once the crumb has firmed up. To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf whole, or slice it first so you can take out one piece at a time.
Why serve it with butter if there’s none in the loaf?
Because the loaf itself is fat-free, a spread of butter adds the richness that a butter-based cake would have. Berry insists on “real unsalted butter,” which lets the sweetness of the fruit and muscovado come through. Unsalted butter also tastes softer against the Earl Grey.
What other teabreads does Mary Berry make?
Lots. There’s a Bara Brith in her Complete Cookbook (2024), and a Walnut Teabread and a Banana and Honey Teabread in the Ultimate Cake Book (2003). For more of her loaves on Pinch Perfect, try the banana loaf or the apple and cinnamon loaf cake. For a teatime spread, her fruity scones go well alongside.
