Name: Dark chocolate, orange & ginger bara brith
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: Serves 8-10
Cuisine: Welsh
Ingredients: 3 strong black teabags; 300g dried mixed fruit; butter for the tin; 180g dark brown soft sugar; 4-5 balls of stem ginger roughly chopped; 100g dark chocolate chopped; 2 tsp marmalade; 2 drops of orange essence or use 1 orange, zested; 1 medium egg beaten; 230g self-raising flour; ½ tsp mixed spice; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; pinch of ground ginger; 50g dark chocolate; 2 oranges (optional)

Dark chocolate, orange & ginger bara brith cut into slices

3 strong black teabags
300g dried mixed fruit
butter
for the tin
180g dark brown soft sugar
4-5 balls of stem ginger
roughly chopped
100g dark chocolate
chopped
2 tsp marmalade
2 drops of orange essence
or use 1 orange, zested
1 medium egg
beaten
230g self-raising flour
½ tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger

For the decoration

50g dark chocolate
2 oranges
(optional)

Method

step 1
Drop the teabags into a heatproof jug, pour over 350ml boiling water from the kettle and leave to brew for 5 mins. Tip the dried fruit into a large heatproof bowl and pour over the hot tea. Cover and soak overnight.
step 2
Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line with baking parchment. Scatter the sugar over the soaked fruit and stir to dissolve. Add the ginger, chocolate, marmalade, orange essence, egg, flour, a pinch of salt and all the spices, then mix to a thick batter.
step 3
Scrape into the tin and bake for 1 hr 15 mins. Leave in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
step 4
To decorate, melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water. If you’re making the dried peel, peel the oranges and cut the peel into strips. Press dry with a kitchen towel, then scatter over a baking tray and bake at 90C or your oven’s lowest setting for 3 hrs, checking every 45 mins. Leave to cool. Drizzle the chocolate over the loaf and scatter with the peel.