F O L K Peach & Earl Grey Loaf

Peach and Earl Grey Loaf

 

This recipe is from Folk Café in Bury St Edmunds. This is the ideal sweet treat for those chilly afternoons, and you can’t go wrong when you pair it with a cup of tea or coffee.

 

Ingredients:

 

Loaf:

130ml whole milk

4 Butterworth and Son Earl Grey Tea bags

100g chopped dried apricots

3 beaten eggs

90g softened unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

½ lemon zest

225g Self raising flour

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

 

Ginger Cream:

125g Softened unsalted butter

170g icing sugar

2 balls stem ginger

2 teaspoons syrup from stem ginger jar

 

Poached Peaches:

3 peaches

50ml boiling water

2 teaspoons honey

sprinkle of cinnamon

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Freeze dried raspberries

 

Method

1. Warm the milk until just about boiling. Removing from the heat and soak tea bags for 5 minutes. Add the apricots and soak for a further 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags, and set the liquid aside.
2. Beat the sugar and the butter until pale and fluffy. Then add the eggs slowly, and then the lemon zest. Fork in the flour and nutmeg.
3. Slice 2 ‘cheeks’ from each peach and set aside. Finely chop the remaining flesh and add this to the batter. Carefully add the milk mixture to the batter and combine.
4. Line a 900g loaf time and spoon in the mixture.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 180’C. Cover with foil halfway through if the top is browning quickly. Cool in the tin.

 

Ginger Cream

1. Cream together the butter and icing sugar.
2. Finely chop the balls of stem ginger and add to the mixture with the syrup.

 

Poached Peaches

1. Poach the ‘cheeks’ in hot water with all other ingredients for 12-15 minutes until tender.

 

To Assemble

Frost the loaf top when cooled with the ginger buttercream. Finely slice the poached peaches and fan out on top of the loaf. Sprinkle freeze dried raspberries to finish. Enjoy with a hot drink of your choice.