Jasmine tea loaf with salted lime butter

Ingredients

• 100g dried figs
• 100g dates
• 50g dried apricots
• 50g raisins
• 1 tsp jasmine flower tea leaves
• 300ml just-boiled water
• 250g self-raising flour
• 70g soft dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg

For the salted lime butter

• 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 1 lime
• ¼ tsp salt flakes

You will need a loaf tin of approx. 19 x 9 x 6cm

Method

Use scissors to finely cut up the figs, dates and apricots into a mixing bowl, discarding their stones and stalks as you go. Add the raisins. Make the tea by immersing the tea leaves in the water. Allow to brew for 4 mins, then strain and pour over the fruit in the bowl. Stir, cover with a cloth and set aside overnight, or for at least 6 hours, for the dried fruit to absorb most of the tea.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Grease the base and sides of the loaf tin and line with baking paper. Mix the flour, sugar, mixed spice and salt into the fruit bowl. Beat the egg and add that too. Mix thoroughly and then spoon into the loaf tin. Spread evenly and bake for about 1 hour – it’s ready when springy to the touch in the centre, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack and take out of the tin, removing the paper too. Give it just another 10 mins or so before trying to slice into it. The warmer it is, the crumblier it will be (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

To make the salted lime butter, mix the butter with the grated zest of the lime and most but not all of the salt. Squeeze the juice of just half the lime and mix that in too. Wrap, roll and chill for 30 mins to firm up. Serve with the remaining salt flakes scattered over, ready to be spread onto slices of the loaf.

The salted lime butter will keep happily in the fridge for a few days and is also good for cooking or finishing fish and vegetables.

Image: Kim Lightbody

Recipe from Borough Market:  The Knowledge with Angela Clutton (Hodder & Stoughton 2022)