Nectarine tea loaf

Recipe from a Waitrose card, made dairy free.

https://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/n/nectarine-apricotandearlgreytealoaf.html

Make tea with 130ml water (original recipe: milk) and 3 earl grey tea bags. It should be strong but not over-mashed and bitter. Use this to soak 100g dried apricots, chopped small.

Cut the "cheeks" from 2 nectarines, and slice thinly for the top of the cake. Dice the remaining flesh the same size as the apricots.

Cream 90g dairy-free spread (original: butter) with 110g caster sugar, the zest of a lemon and grated nutmeg to taste. Mix in 2 large eggs and 225g self-raising flour, then add the fruit and tea. The mix will be quite soft and loose.

Pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin, and arrange the nectarine slices in fans on the top. Bake 1h at 170°C (fan) or until it passes the skewer test. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then on a rack. Optionally, brush the top with melted apricot jam.

A delicious, light cake that was easy to make. Not sure it really qualifies as a tea bread but I will definitely be doing this one again nonetheless.