Sliced bara brith loaf with butter

Bara brith

Name: Bara brith
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: Cuts into 8-10 slices
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 250g dried mixed fruit; 50g soft butter cubed, plus extra for the tin; 100g dark brown sugar; 1 tbsp treacle; 1 breakfast tea bag (we used Glengettie welsh tea); 2 eggs beaten; 1 tsp mixed spice; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 275g self-raising flour

Published: March 30, 2026 at 3:49 PM

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Cuts into 8-10 slices

Easy

Total time: 1 hr and 55 mins

+ Soaking

A star rating of 5 out of 5.11 ratingsRate

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A traditional Welsh treat, bara brith comes crammed with tea-infused dried fruit and two types of spice. This loaf cake is delicious spread with salted butter

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What is bara brith?

Bara brith is a traditional Welsh tea cake characterised by dried fruits, such as raisins, currants and sultanas, soaked in strong tea overnight. Its name comes from the Welsh words "bara" (bread) and "brith" (speckled). It is a staple of Welsh afternoon tea, and commonly enjoyed with thick slices of butter.

Try this recipe for bara brith, then check out our fruited tea loaf, banana malt loaf, ginger loaf and more loaf cake recipes. For another traditional Welsh treat, bake a batch of our easy Welsh cakes.

Ingredients

Nutrition

250g dried mixed fruit
50g soft butter

cubed, plus extra for the tin
100g dark brown sugar
1 tbsp treacle
1 breakfast tea bag (we used Glengettie welsh tea)
2 eggs

beaten
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
275g self-raising flour

Nutrition: per serving

kcal265
fat6g
saturates3g
carbs48g
sugars27g
fibre2g
protein5g
salt0.4g

Method

step 1

Tip the fruit, butter, sugar and treacle into a bowl. Make the teabag into 150ml of strong tea with boiling water, then pour over the fruit mixture. Leave for 10 minutes or until cooled and the butter has melted.
step 2

Heat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Butter and line a 900g loaf tin. Mix the eggs into the cooled fruit mixture, then stir in the spices, a pinch of salt and the flour to make a smooth cake batter. Tip into the tin and bake for 1 hr 15- 1 hr 25 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin. Will keep in an airtight container for five days.

Try more loaf cake ideas

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