Servings
Font
Back
0 from 15 votes

Traditional Irish Barmbrack (Bairin Breac)

This Barmbrack recipe is easy, traditional and will make you ask why you have never made it before. Tea steeped dried fruits, citrus, brown sugar and warm spices come together in a cake like manner, to make this Traditional Irish Barmbrack.

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 45 mins
Additional Time
1 d
Total Time
1 d 2 hrs
Servings: 30 slices
Calories: 116 kcal
Course: Snacks , Baked Goods
Cuisine: Irish

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried fruit I used about ⅔ raisins and ⅓ currants.
  • 2 tea bags
  • 1 orange used only for zest and juice
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • ½ clove powder
  • ½ ground cinnamon
  • ¼ grated nutmeg
  • ¼ ground ginger
  • 1 lb flour
  • 4 oz brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp marmalade
  • 1 tsp demerara sugar

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Make hot tea by adding 10 oz of hot water to the two teabags. After 5 minutes remove the teabags, and pour the tea into a bowl.
  2. Add dried fruit to the bowl.
  3. Zest and juice the orange, but sure not to include any of the bitter white pith.
  4. Cover this bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit on a counter top overnight.
  5. The following day, pre-heat the oven to 320 degrees F / 160 degrees C. Then, sift the flour and baking powder into a separate dry bowl.
  6. Add the spices and brown sugar.
  7. Then remove the plastic wrap from the bowl of steeping fruit. Drain out the tea and catch it in a bowl.
  8. Add the tea to the dry bowl.
  9. Beat the eggs and add them to the bowl.
  10. Add salt (it's best to do this when the flour and baking powder are being sifted, but better late than never.)
  11. Finally, mix all the ingredients together, then transfer the fruit batter into a well greased cake tin. I used oil and a silicone brush to grease the tin. Bake for about an hour to an hour and a half, or longer. Insert a thin wooden skewer into the center of the cake. If batter shows on the skewer, continue baking until the skewer is dry after being inserted.
  12. When the Barmbrack has cooled, brush warm marmalade on top. Pre warming the marmalade makes it more pliable.
  13. Sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top. It will stick easily to the loaf.

Notes

  • I used a 9 inch / 23 cm round cake tin. It measured 2 inches / 5 cm tall.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 116kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 26g (9%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 0.1g (1%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g Trans Fat 0.001g Cholesterol 11mg (4%) Sodium 50mg (2%) Potassium 138mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 12g (24%) Vitamin A 27IU (1%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 58mg (6%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 30slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 116

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 116kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 26g 9%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.1g 1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g 1%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g 1%
Trans Fat 0.001g 0%
Cholesterol 11mg 4%
Sodium 50mg 2%
Potassium 138mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 12g 24%
Vitamin A 27IU 1%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 58mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.