Baked: Vegan Earl Grey tea loaf

Now that the weather is cooler, I'm more inclined to potter in the kitchen for hours experimenting with new recipes. I drink industrial quantities of Earl Grey tea so when I saw Gwen's recipe for an Earl Grey tea loaf, I was on board immediately and started looking for ways to veganise it.

After scouring cookbooks and the internet I settled on this recipe, making a few minor changes because I can never just follow a set of instructions like a normal person. The result was a deliciously sweet and moist cake with a generous hint of spice: I actually preferred it to the non-vegan version. This is also low in fat and, of course, egg and dairy-free, so perfect for people with allergies.

Ingredients
2 Earl Grey tea bags
1 cup water
1 cup dried fruit (I used sultanas)
A handful of dried mixed peel
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup oil (sunflower or vegetable work best, and are cheapest too)
2 cups self-raising flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
A generous tablespoon brown demerara sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180c or gas mark 4. Grease and line a loaf tin.

2. Combine the tea bags, water, oil,lemon juice, dried fruit and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes for the tea to infuse.

3. Squeeze tea bags and discard them, transferring the rest of the mixture from the pan into a bowl.

4. Sift together the flour and spices and add to the bowl, mixing well. The batter will look a little aerated at this point.

5. Pour the batter into the lined tin, smooth down and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

6. Cool slightly before removing from the tin, then slice and serve with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea.

All measurements are given in cups - use a proper set of baking cups to ensure quantities are accurate.