Tony shows Lorcan how he makes a traditional Irish Barmbrack loaf. Check out our website www.oreillysrecipes.com
My mouth is watering watching this again. I made this cake earlier this year, this summer, for my cousin's bridal shower (her now-husband is of Irish descent, so she asked me to bring fitting treats) and it was DELICIOUS, flavored with strong tea, fruit, and spices. This bread is traditionally made around Samhain/Halloween and, I've learned since first making it, can be filled with even more flavor by adding a splash of whiskey to the batter. With Samhain just around the corner, I'll defintiely be baking a barmbrack this weekend!
Irish Barmbrack 1 cup dark raisins 1 cup dried mixed fruit (I used a pre-mixed blend of golden raisins, cranberries, and cherries) 1 cup cold tea, strong, made with two teabags (I used Irish Breakfast tea) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1 1/3 cups brown sugar 2 eggs 1 t. allspice 1 T. Irish whiskey, optional 1/2 t. baking soda
Soak the fruit in the tea overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan or loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a mixing bowl, with a wooden spoon, combine the fruit, brown sugar, eggs, allspice, and whiskey if you wish. Add the flour and baking soda and mix well until a dough forms. The dough, while thick, should drop off easily when you lift and turn over your spoon. If the dough seems too thick, just add a little bit of milk to it.
If desired, you can wrap a ring or coin in foil and mix it into the dough. Irish tradition says that whoever gets the ring in their slice of barmbrack will be the next person to get married, and whoever receives the coin will have monetary fortune or good luck in general.
Pour the dough into your prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes to an hour, or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the barmbrack cool, remove it from the pan and peel off the paper, and transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy with generous amounts of butter and good cups of tea.