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2-1/2 cup mixed dry fruit
Place dried fruit in a bowl, cover with the hot tea and let soak overnight.
The next day, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Pour batten into greased 7" square pan and bake in the center of oven for 1-1/2 hrs.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Slice and serve buttered with tea.
Poster's Notes:
For the mixed spice, use equal parts of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and mace.
In Northern Ireland and in the Republic, brack is the Celtic word for salt and is used to mean "bread." Barm brack is leavened bread, the word barm meaning yeast.
The term "barm brack" for an Irish fruit loaf or cake does not derive from barm or leaven. It is a corruption of the Irish word "aran breac" (Speckled Bread).
Posted by Carol Fox
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A
1 cup black tea, boiling
1 egg
1 tsp. mixed spice
4 tsp. marmalade
1 heaping cup superfine sugar
2-1/2 cups self-rising flour
For dried fruits, you can use currants, dark and golden raisins.