Bow Bells in Northern Ireland is one of Cycling UK’s Cyclist Café of the Year award winners for 2018 and they’ve shared a special recipe with us. It’s one of their most popular treats on the menu, so why not attempt it at home. 

It’s a fat-free carb loading recipe and the cyclists who visit the café consume it very quickly, which means it’s being baked a lot. The dried fruit is plumped by being marinated overnight and promises to be really delicious. Once the marinating has finished, it’s a really quick one to do and a great one to eat during or after a ride.  

Ingredients

 500ml of brewed tea

I lb (454g) brown sugar 

2 eggs

1.5 lb (680g) sultanas

1.25 lb (567g) self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

1 tsp mixed spice (optional)

Method

1. Steep the fruit, sugar and tea overnight in a bowl 
2. Heat oven to 160 °C or 320°F or Gas Mark 3
3. Mix all ingredients together adding a little mixed spice if you'd like 
4. Divide mixture into 2 2lb loaf tins lined and greased and bake for approximately 1 hour 
5. Check with a skewer, then prick with a fork and add a little more cold tea over the loaf when removed from the oven

Slice when cool and enjoy with a piping hot cup of tea after a decent ride!