Cyclists’ Brack

This article was published in 2007, in Newsletter 71.

The Cake Research Group’s answer to the Bonk.
Image as described adjacent

Simon, Nigel, Clare and I have decided to constitute ourselves as an informal cake research subgroup. At the time we were sampling an Irish brack or tea-cake (so called because it’s made with tea, not for tea) which my mother calls Cyclists’ Brack because it’s ideal for warding off what she would not call the bonk. In other words, it’s an easily portable and very tasty source of quick energy.

450 ml (15 fl oz) cold tea
200 g (7 oz) brown sugar
340 g (12 oz) dried fruit
280 g (10 oz) self-raising wholemeal flour
1 egg

Soak the sugar and fruit overnight in the tea. In a separate bowl add the beaten egg to the flour and stir. Add the tea mixture. Cook in a greased loaf tin for an hour and a half at 190° C (Gas Mark 4). This gives 2580 Calories (91% carbohydrate), for what it’s worth.

Tim Burford