Dark chocolate, orange & ginger bara brith
Try a twist on bara brith – the classic Welsh teacake – made with chocolate, orange and ginger. It's perfect for celebrating St David’s Day
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 8 persons
Ingredients
- 3strong black teabags
- 300g dried mixed fruit
- butter, for the tin
- 180g dark brown soft sugar
- 4-5 balls of stem ginger, roughly chopped
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped
- 2tsp marmalade
- 2drops of orange essence, or use 1 orange, zested
- 1medium egg, beaten
- 230g self-raising flour
- ½tsp mixed spice
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of ground ginger
- 50g dark chocolate
- 2oranges (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Drop the teabags into a heatproof jug, pour over 350ml boiling water from the kettle and leave to brew for 5 mins. Tip the dried fruit into a large heatproof bowl and pour over the hot tea. Cover and soak overnight.Step 2
Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line with baking parchment. Scatter the sugar over the soaked fruit and stir to dissolve. Add the ginger, chocolate, marmalade, orange essence, egg, flour, a pinch of salt and all the spices, then mix to a thick batter.Step 3
Scrape into the tin and bake for 1 hr 15 mins. Leave in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.Step 4
To decorate, melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water. If you’re making the dried peel, peel the oranges and cut the peel into strips. Press dry with a kitchen towel, then scatter over a baking tray and bake at 90C or your oven’s lowest setting for 3 hrs, checking every 45 mins. Leave to cool. Drizzle the chocolate over the loaf and scatter with the peel.