Mixed Fruit and Coffee Spelt Loaf

The dried fruits in this Mixed Fruit and Coffee Spelt Loaf, are soaked, for at least 6 hours, in freshly brewed ground coffee. The strength of the coffee flavour depends on the strength of your brew.

This Spelt Flour Fruit cake recipe makes 2x 1lb loaves and yields 8 slices per loaf. It's adapted from the traditional Yorkshire Tea Loaf, where the fruit is soaked overnight in freshly brewed tea.

For this recipe, I soak the fruit in Coffee. The blend that I used is Czar Street, an Espresso Blend from NorthStar Coffee Roasters. I buy it directly from their NorthStar Coffee Shop in Dock Street Leeds.

How to make this Mixed Fruit and Coffee Spelt Loaf Step by Step.

First you need to soak the fruit. A minimum of 6 hours is good. Overnight is even better. You'll find there's some liquid left after soaking. That's fine. Don't throw it away.

Make the coffee using 20g of ground coffee with 350 ml boiled water. This is roughly the size of a small cafetière.

Leave to brew for 4 mins. However, some of the liquid will evaporate and be absorbed by the coffee granules. You should be left with about 300ml of coffee.

In a large bowl, add the currants and raisins. Then pour the (strained) coffee over the fruits. Give everything a good mix to ensure all the fruits are covered with coffee.

Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for a minimum of 6 hours, ideally overnight, to allow all the goodness of the coffee to soak into the fruits. Give it the occasional mix.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 160 C fan-assisted. Grease and line two 1lb loaf tins with baking parchment or cake liners.

Add the eggs and sugar into the soaked mixed fruit. DO NOT remove any of the remaining coffee liquid. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

Add the flour and baking powder. Mix until well combined

Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared tins and bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until baked. Testing the centre of each loaf with a skewer until it comes out clean.

Remove from the oven. Leave in the tins to cool completely before turning out.

I like to serve spread with butter. It must be a Yorkshire thing, but fruited loaf cakes, are often served with a good chunk of cheese. It's almost a meal in itself.

Why this recipe works

• Soaking the fruit for several hours, means they take on all the flavours of the coffee. Making them juicy and plump too. It's the juiciness that makes these 1lb loaves so lovely and moist.
• Use a good quality coffee. If you have to us instant coffee make sure it's a good quality one. Ground coffee will often give you back notes of flavour. I love coffee. Most of the coffee I buy or drink is from NorthStar Coffee Shop. 
• If you happen to have run out of brown sugar, Brenda of Becoming Betty has a great post on 'How to make Brown Sugar'. 

Other loaf recipes that you may like to try.

• Yorkshire Tea Loaf
• Banana and chocolate loaf
• Spiced Banana and Hazelnut Loaf
• Coconut and Lime Cakes
• Cranberry and Almond 1lb loaves

Mixed fruit and Coffee Spelt Loaf

Lynn Hill

The dried fruits in this Mixed Fruit and Coffee Spelt Loaf, are soaked overnight in freshly brewed ground coffee. The strength of the coffee flavour depends on the strength of your brew.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Soaking the fruit 6 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs

Course dessert baking

Cuisine British

Servings 2 lb loaves

Calories 1473 kcal

INGREDIENTS

• 300 ml Freshly made coffee make your coffee using fresh ground coffee.
• 175 g Currants
• 175 g Raisins
• 2 Eggs medium
• 200 g Light Brown Sugar
• 170 g Wholemeal Spelt Flour
• 100 g Self Raising flour
• ½ teaspoons baking powder

Instructions

 

Soaking the fruit

• Make the coffee using 20g of ground coffee with 350 ml boiled water. This is roughly the size of a small cafetière. Leave to brew for 4 mins. Some of the liquid will evaporate and be absorbed by the coffee granules.
• In a large bowl, add the currants and raisins. Then pour the (strained) coffee over the fruits. Give everything a good mix to ensure all the fruits are covered with coffee. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for a minimum of 6 hours, ideally overnight, to allow all the goodness of the coffee to soak into the fruits.?? Give it the occasional mix.

Make the Loaves

• In the morning, preheat the oven to 160 C fan-assisted. Grease and line two 1lb loaf tins with baking parchment or cake liners.
• Add the eggs and sugar into the soaked mixed fruit. DO NOT remove any of the remaining coffee liquid. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
• Add the flour and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
• Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared tins and bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until baked. Testing the centre of each loaf with a skewer until it comes out clean. Remove from oven.
• Leave in the tins to cool completely before turning out.

Notes

This recipe makes 2 x 1lb loaves. Each loaf will yield 8 slices

Brewing your coffee from freshly ground coffee gives you the best flavour. If you have to use Instant coffee, then brew according to your taste.

You can use a mix of other dried fruits such as sultanas. 

These loaves will keep for a couple of weeks if kept in an airtight container.

Keyword coffee, mixed fruit,