Rooibos & Apple Malt Loaf

Autumn is well and truly here and this dark and delicious malt loaf is the perfect comfort food to welcome the arrival of cosier days. As always we're celebrating what's in season, and an abundance of apples is best resolved by pairing with the sweet vanilla and dried cherry notes of our Rooibos tea - delicious. If you can bear the wait, wrap and store the loaf in a cool place for a day or so before slicing and smothering in salted butter to serve. 

Serves 6 

By Stephanie Barnes 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED 

• 2 heaped tsp Rooibos tea (or 3 tea bags)
• 200ml water
• 2 small apples, peeled and cored – 1 diced, the other thinly sliced
• 75g raisins
• 60g unsalted butter, cubed
• 150g black treacle / malt syrup
• 120g dark brown sugar
• 260g plain flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 ½ tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1tbsp granulated or demerara sugar, for sprinkling

METHOD 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160° and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Brew the Rooibos tea for 4 minutes, then pour 180ml into a saucepan over a medium heat. Add raisins and diced apple, mix well, and remove from the
heat. (Reserve the remaining tea for glazing the cake later). 
3. Add cubed butter to the saucepan and stir until melted.
4. Add the malt extract and bicarb soda (it will foam a little), then add brown
sugar, vanilla and beaten eggs. Stir well to combine.
5. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Pour in the liquid mixture, stirring to combine until the batter is smooth. (Keep the sticky saucepan and pour in your reserved tea – this will be your glaze)
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, then place the two sliced apple
halves on top, fanning out the slices. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp granulated sugar.
7. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and brush with the tea and treacle syrup mixture.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely
on a wire rack.
9. Wrap the loaf well in baking paper, then cling film, and store for a day or two before serving.

*This cake also works really well with other dried fruit such as dried pears or dates.