Vegan tea loaf is a delicious and wholesome tea-time treat. Packed with moist vine fruits, this fruit loaf is comforting everyday home-made cake at its best.
Tea Time Treats
Oh, the factories may be roaring
With a boom-a-lacka, zoom-a-lacka, wee
But there isn’t any roar when the clock strikes four
Everything stops for tea
Everyone likes a slice of cake with their cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon, but realistically most people don’t have the time or inclination to bake each week. If they do, a cake for just two people can often go stale before it is finished.
We love cake, but don’t want too much of it, and certainly don’t want to feel obliged to eat something up before it goes off. That’s why fruit cake is perfect for us. It lasts so much longer, which means we can always have cake on hand to offer to visitors. We are also satisfied with a smaller slice, and it’s so much less sugary than a sandwich cake with buttercream or jam.
Flora Light – 100% Plant Based
We like this vegan fruit loaf both as it comes, or spread with some Flora Light.
Flora Light, is 100% plant based, suitable for vegans, and has only 40 calories per serving. With no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours, and also contains in omega-3, it is ideal to spread on toast or your favourite fruit loaf. You can also use in your favourite bakes, cakes and savoury dishes.
Vegan Tea Loaf Recipe
This tea loaf, or fruit loaf, is a type of cake popular throughout the British Isles and is similar to an Irish Barmbrack or Welsh Bara Brith. It’s an everyday, homey sort of cake of the sort that used to be eaten at tea time most days throughout the land.
The secret is to soak the dried fruit in tea, plumping it up before you bake with it. This keeps the cake moist and helps to avoid the singeing that can happen when you use unsoaked currants or raisins, which can lead to a burnt taste to your cake.
Why you will love this vegan fruit loaf recipe
- This vegan fruit loaf is delicious and moist.
- It is to vary it to suit your own taste – just use different dried fruit, spices or tea.
- It is vegan, so egg and dairy free and can easily be gluten free.
- The recipe only uses common store cupboard ingredients, so you don’t need to go shopping to make it.
- It is SO easy to make! Simply soak the fruit and then throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mix. You don’t need a mixer.
- Loaf cakes are delicious as they are. There’s no need to decorate them. Simple and fuss free.
- It keeps well. You can make this cake several days ahead, and it will keep for a week in an airtight tin, so there is no need for any waste.
How to Make Vegan Tea Loaf
Step one – Grab your ingredients – all from the store cupboard.
Step two – Brew the tea, and pour a cup over the dried fruit. Allow it to soak until cool, while you drink a cup of tea. Better still, cover and leave overnight (and up to 24 hours), either on the counter top, or in the fridge.
Step three – Mix the dry ingredients. Heat the oven to 160°C (fan)/180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Step four – Add the melted spread/oil, and the dried fruit and tea mixture. Stir well. The mixture should easily dollop off a spoon – if needed, add a little more liquid to loosen it.
Step five – Grease and line a 6″ or 1lb loaf tin, and spoon the mixture into the tin.
Step six – Bake for 40–50 minutes. Check with a skewer or toothpick: the cake is done when a skewer comes out clean.
If the top of the cake starts to brown before the centre is cooked, then cover with a piece of foil.
When cooked, set the tin on a cooling rack. Allow your tea loaf to cool before removing from the tin, to minimize the risk of breakage.
How Can I Store Vegan Tea Loaf?
Once cool keep in an airtight in, this type of fruit loaf is generally far better the day after baking. I find them very fragile to slice the same day.
It should keep for at least a week in a tin. If you feel you can’t use it up, wrap the chunk you don’t need in cling film, then in foil and freeze it.
Hints, Tips & Variations for Vegan Tea Loaf
- You may find that you need to add a little extra water or tea to the batter. Not all dried fruit is the same, and it will absorb different amounts of tea.
- You want the tea to be good and strong for this recipe. We usually use English Breakfast. A more aromatic tea, like Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong, can be used to change the flavour. For a caffeine and tannin free version, you could try a fruit infusion instead.
- Vary the dried fruit – you want a base of vine fruit (raisins, currants and sultanas), but you could add some dried cranberries, chopped pineapple, apricot or dates. You could even add some chocolate chips.
- Try a different spice blend. We use traditional British mixed spice. Pumpkin spices or a biscoff/speculoos blend would all be delicious. Alternatively, you could use allspice, a single spice that works like a mixture.
- If the top of the cake starts to brown too quickly whilst cooking, loosely drape a piece of foil over the top of the tin.
- This cake is best cooked a day before you want to serve.
- To freeze wrap the cake in cling film or foil then a thick plastic bag. Allow to defrost for a few hours at room temperature. We often make the cake and then freeze half.
More Easy Vegan Cakes
- Vegan ginger cake
- Three ingredient fruit cocktail cake
- Vegan pineapple upside down cake
- Pumpkin spice cake
Other Easy Cakes
Vegan Tea Loaf
Ingredients
- 200 g mixed dried fruit
- 180 ml strong brewed tea
- 90 g sugar (golden caster)
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 160 g plain flour (or use self raising and omit the baking power)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tsp melted Flora Light or neutral flavoured oil
Instructions
- Brew the tea and soak the dried fruit in it until cooled. You can cover the bowl and leave it to steep for up to 24 hours in the fridge.
- Grease and line a 15 cm / 1lb loaf tin. Heat the oven to 160°C (fan)/180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, spices, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add the oil, and all the fruit and tea mixture. Mix well.
- Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin, and flatten the top. Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes.
- The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean. If the top of the cakes starts to brown before the inside is cooked, then loosely drape a piece of foil over the tin to slow it down.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin,
Notes
- You may find that you need to add a little extra water or tea to the batter. Not all dried fruit is the same, and it will absorb different amounts of tea.
- You want the tea to be good and strong for this recipe. We usually use English Breakfast. A more aromatic tea, like Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong, can be used to change the flavour. For a caffeine and tannin free version, you could try a fruit infusion instead.
- Vary the dried fruit – you want a base of vine fruit (raisins, currants and sultanas), but you could add some dried cranberries, chopped pineapple, apricot or dates. You could even add some chocolate chips.
- Try a different spice blend. We use traditional British mixed spice. Pumpkin spices or a biscoff/speculoos blend would all be delicious. Alternatively, you could use allspice, a single spice that works like a mixture.
- If the top of the cake starts to brown too quickly whilst cooking, loosely drape a piece of foil over the top of the tin.
- This cake is best cooked a day before you want to serve.
- To freeze wrap the cake in cling film or foil then a thick plastic bag. Allow to defrost for a few hours at room temperature. We often make the cake and then freeze half.
- This recipe is 8 Weight Watchers Smart Points per slice
Video
Recipe for vegan tea loaf commissioned by Flora. All opinions our own.
If you like this Vegan Tea Loaf, you may also enjoy my Easy Peasy Ginger Cake or Date and Orange Cake. These are both extremely easy to make and are delicious spread with a little Flora Light.
Adrianne
This loaf looks so tasty and delicious! I love everything you have put in there and I can’t wait to try it. Cheers
Helen
Such a tasty loaf cake, and not too sweet.
beverley
Tea loaf reminds me of my Grandmother, as she used to make it often. I remember the delicious smell of it, and readily awaiting it coming out the oven. The wait for it to cool, before enjoy it with a cup of tea in her beautiful China tea cups. Great recipe and I can’t wait to make it.
Helen
Lovely memory to have, I hope you get to make it soon.
Felicity D
Love making this, Helen, so fruity and moist. A perfect treat for afternoon tea.
Helen
It really is perfect for afternoon tea.
Angela Allison
This was so delicious! I loved soaking the fruit in tea, it added another level of flavor. Will definitely make again. thanks for sharing!
Suzanne
This loaf looks soooo moist. I can’t wait to try it for breakfast with some good butter (vegan of course!)
Helen
it would be lovely for breakfast
SHANIKA
A great loaf is definitely perfect with tea and this looks great! Super fluffy and moist!
Helen
Thank you
Jenn
This was an amazing recipe! I’d never have thought of using tea to hydrate the dried fruit, and the loaf was so moist and delicious! Perfect with a hot cup of coffee!
Helen
I’m so glad you liked it!
Sarah Bailey
Oh my goodness this looks absolutely delicious – I do love a bit of tea loaf. It is great this is Vegan I can make some for when my cousin comes around!
Helen
perfect for sharing with friends and family
Sarupa Shah
Love a fruit loaf – and this looks great – looking forward to trying this one and scoffing it! :)
Helen
thank you. Love a tea loaf too
Elizabeth Williams
This looks delicious and perfect with a lick of Flora which I love. My mum is vegan so I’m always looking for new recipes to cook for her and this look perfect.
Helen
So glad you like the look of it.
Samantha
Oooooh this looks delicious! I don’t think I’ve ever made tea loaf before, but this recipe sounds so simple. My sister can’t have dairy so we always buy plant-based spread like Flora.
Helen
It is a very easy and satisfying bake!
Kristine Nicole Alessandra
Looks like a really tasty loaf! I am not vegan but this loaf of bread looks so delicious I am definitely making this at home. Sharing the recipe with a close friend who follows a vegan lifestyle too.
Helen
Hope you both enjoy it!
Scarlet
This vegan tea loaf looks delightful with the dried fruit.
Helen
thank you. It was so lovely!
Valerie
This cake sounds so tasty, with the fruit! I bet it would taste great lightly toasted with a little cream cheese.
Helen
I’d be quite careful about toasting it as the fruit can burn. Very light toasting.
Neha
I want a slice of that tea loaf now. It sounds so delicious and the plumped fruit must make it soft and not dry. I imagine making a masala chai one like this. Didn’t realised you got plant based flora- I need to get baking I think
Helen
it would be amazing with masala chai. Flora has been completely vegan for a while now.
Kara Guppy
I do love a good tea loaf with a cuppa – it looks delicious
Helen
Thanks Kara. We love this one.
Eilidh Gallagher
This looks delicious! Love that it is vegan too, I don’t have much dairy anymore and struggle with baking.
Helen
There are really good non diary spreads for baking.
Jess Howliston
Oo this sounds absolutely delicious, I will definitely be giving the recipe a try so thanks for sharing! Fruit cake is one of my absolute favourites but I am the only one in our house who likes it so glad to hear this will keep a little longer too!
Helen
If it is just you who is eating it then cut the cake in half, and freeze half
Sarah | Boo Roo and Tigger Too
This sounds delightful and perfect for taking over to a friends house for tea and a catch up.
Helen
Friends who bring cake are the best!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
There’s 5 of us here so cake never goes stale. I have heard of dried fruit being soaked in brandy but never tea, great tip!
Helen
Tea is fabulous for soaking the fruit. Perfectly plump and moist every time
Crystal (The Busy Mom Diary)
I love how easy and simple these appears to be. I’m a sucker for any kind of cake, and will definitely try this out soon.
mohan kumar
This sounds gorgeous! I’m actually considering making this!
Queenie
This is the perfect cake to enjoy with a good cup of tea. All that moist fruit makes it such a nice consistency.
MIchelle Rice
Perfect lockdown recipe using store cupboard ingredients to make a delicious treat. So easy my children made it. Great recipe.
Maree
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it this weekend! Just wanted to check, did you use plain flour? Could you use self-raising?
Helen
Absolutely use self raising flour and leave the baking powder out.
Hannah
About to make this – is the flour plain or self raising please?
Helen
Plain flour.
Mandy
Since going vegan 3 years ago, the only fruit cake recipes I could find were complex ones involving flax eggs etc, which if making a Christmas cake was fine, however, I wanted a quick easy, tasty fruit cake recipe and this fit the bill nicely.
Thank you
Helen
Flax eggs and the like are fantastic, but who can be bothered for everyday?
Helen Nichols
This is an excellent vegan tea loaf recipe, the consistency of the loaf is spot on, moist but not soggy. I added one tablespoon of bitter fine cut marmalade to the batter for a hint of an orange flavour
Helen
That sounds delicious with the addition of the marmalade.
Savvyshopper
Quick, easy & tasty.
Thank you.
Helen
So pleased you liked it.
Alie
Do you you think I could make this with gluten free flour? Has anyone tried it?
Helen
I can’t see why not. It is quite a fragile cake – so maybe a bit of extra stabiliser? I’m not an expert on GF baking at all.
Alie
I made this with gluten free flour and 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum. I also had a very ripe banana that needed eating so mashed that and added too. Worked out really well and I’ll be making again. Delicious!
Helen
That’s great to know – thanks Alie!
Helen Stannard
I made this following your recipe and it was delicious. The family ate it all up a few hours after it came out of the oven (they couldn’t wait until the next day!). They loved it. I look forward to experimenting with different spices. Thank you for publishing it.
Helen
That is great news! Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Felicity
I’m making this cake tomorrow as it sounds just the recipe I am looking for. May I just confirm the amount of Flora/oil as it sounds an incredibly small amount. Is that 3 teaspoons? Or 3 tablespoons? Could you give the weight or marg/oil required in grams? Many thanks
Helen
Yes- it’s just a tiny amount as the cake is so moist.
Raquel Alves
Love it – great recipe – added all the bits of fruit I had in the cupboard including some cherries I had left from christmas – added a bit of almond flour and some walnuts and a bit of brandy that I had and absolute yum!!! – thank you
Helen
Even better with the cherries and brandy!
Lynne
Ok so i doubled all of the ingredients and added an extra 100g of mixed fruit and and dark chocolate chips, and cooked in a large Bundt tin. Well it tasted just like an English Christmas/pudding cake the flavours were brilliant.
Next time I’ll add some brandy for an extra kick.
Helen
I love the idea of adding the chocolate chips and baking in a bundt.
Avrille
Thanks for this super vegan recipe. It is easy and delicious. I used apple puree instead of the oil.
madhur
I tried mine with green tea and cranberries and it was delicious….thank you for sharing such a tasty recipe
Emily
I love this recipe! I’m doing veganuary and I’ve made this tea loaf every week for the past few Sunday’s so I can snack on it throughout the week. I’ve started adding a little golden syrup and some seeds to the batter, the syrup makes the cake more crumbly but it’s so delicious! Great recipe thanks for sharing.
Helen
Hi Emily, so happy you like it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Susanne
Can I substitute the sugar with banana and
maple syrup do you think please?
Helen
Hi Susanna, it might completely change the texture, and make the cake very crumbly, but give it a go
Verity
Made this with a couple substitutes: spelt flour and coconut sugar. I added almond slithers. I also put fruit and tea in a saucepan and heated it till it came to boiling point. Then took it off the heat and cooled slightly. I skipped the overnight soak. This made a super easy very tasty loaf. Thanks
Krysia Irvine
As good as promised. I’ll be making it again and again! Thank you
Helen
Fantastic – I am delighted you enjoyed it.
Camille Abergas
Thank you so much for this recipe! My husband liked it. So handy cos my daughter’s allergic to dairy and egg so we’re trying to avoid eggs and dairy.
Helen
So glad you like it.
Lucinda
My brother who is vegan made a few of these for a family gathering. It was SO delicious – I demanded the recipe off him, so here I am. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Really moist and satisfying – I was amazed to see it had so little fat in it!
Ann Bonner
Very easy to make I used sultanas dates and cranberries added walnuts to the top of the cakes before cooking. I used Earl grey tea. The cake x2 are in the oven now and look lovely with the dark brown sugar it looks like Xmas cake.
Stephanie
I make this cake again and again. I do put less sugar in, prob half. Can bary fruit and tea to taste. Made today with chai teabags. Adding booze makes it a Christmas cake. Very versatile, thank you.
joe
Hi did this today and devoured a slice like no body’s business. Very good. I’ll me it again. Thanks and god bless.