Method
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl then rub in the butter with your fingertips. Stir in the yeast, sugar, currants, mixed peel and spices.
Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in ¾ of the milk and mix together. Add more milk until you have a soft dough.
Lightly dust a surface with flour and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and cover with lightly greased cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
Knock back the dough by punching it. Then knead for 5 minutes before dividing into 12 tea cakes. Place on a greased baking sheet and cover once again with the greased cling film. Leave to rise again in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas 6. Remove the cling film from the tea cakes and lightly brush them with milk. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden.
Heat 3 tbsp sugar with 3 tbsp water in a pan until dissolved. Brush over the tea cakes and serve warm or cooled and toasted with butter.
Ingredients
- 500g (1 lb 2oz) strong white bread flour, plus some for dusting
- 1 tsp salt
- 50g (2oz) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 x 7g sachet fast action dried yeast
- 40g (1½oz) caster sugar, plus 3 tbsp
- 150g (5oz) currants
- 75g (3oz) mixed peel
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 300ml (½pt) warm semi skimmed milk, plus 2 tbsp for brushing
Top Tip for making Tea Cakes
Make the dough and after kneading place in a greased bowl covered in cling film. Leave in the fridge to slowly rise over night
-
Christmas Cake Tray Bake
For a quick and easy alternative to Christmas cake, try out this Christmas Cake Tray Bake. It's packed with all the delicious fruit you'd expect and is so quick!
By Samuel Goldsmith • Published
-
Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts with Chorizo and Chickpeas
By Rebecca Smith • Published
-
Chicken parmesan bake
By Rose Fooks • Published
-
Chocolate and hazelnut roulade
This chocolate and hazelnut roulade comes with an optional Baileys Irish cream liqueur filling for an extra, festive twist
By Jen Bedloe • Published
-
Baileys Cheesecake
This no-bake Baileys cheesecake is so easy to make and perfect for cream liqueur lovers, plus it takes just 40 minutes to prepare
By Jess Meyer • Published
-
Chocolate torte with Baileys cream and salted praline
Serve this rich Chocolate torte with Baileys cream and salted praline for a festive dessert that makes a popular alternative to Christmas pudding
By Jen Bedloe • Published
-
Kristin Cavallari’s go-to breakfast is so easy to make that you will want to eat it every morning
Reality TV star Kristin Cavallari shares the recipe for her favorite egg-based breakfast
By Anna Rahmanan • Published
-
Wallis Simpson's stomach-churning breakfast revealed
Excuse us, we need a minute here
By Madeline Merinuk • Published
-
The $4 breakfast this billionaire eats every day
Believe it or not, billionaire Warren Buffett is extremely frugal - especially when it comes to his very particular breakfast routine
By Anna Rahmanan • Published