Tea Brack

Tea brack is a fat-free yet moist and intensely spicy bread/cake that is sort of a poor man's plum pudding. But it's much easier to make than plum pudding. If you're using this tea brack for the pudding recipe that follows, you'll need to start at least two days ahead of the time you want to serve it.

2 cups sultana or other yellow raisins
2 cups dark seedless raisins or dried currants
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups strong black tea
1 1/2 cups Irish whiskey
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 level teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon,
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
3 beaten eggs
Grated rind of 1 lemon

Soak the raisins, brown sugar, tea and whiskey in a large bowl for 12 hours or overnight. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add to raisin mixture along with beaten eggs and lemon rind. Pour batter into 2 greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees F. Remove from pan. Let cool on rack.

Makes 2 loaves.

Nutritional information per serving (24 servings): 204 calories, 7 grams fat, 3 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber