Celebrate Halloween in Classic Irish Style with our Traditional Barmbrack Recipe!
The Barmbrack lies at the very heart of Halloween celebrations in Ireland. On Halloween Night, family members gather round the table to cut into the Halloween Brack to discover their future! Special charms are hidden within this delicious cake which according to tradition dictate the future of whoever gets it in their slice. Typical charms found within the barmbrack include:
- A Pea: You will not marry that year
- Stick: An unhappy marriage or continual disputes
- Rag: Bad luck
- Coin: Good fortune or wealth
- Ring: You will be wed within the year!
Serve Your Brack On Beautiful Irish China
Ingredients
- 8oz [225g] Self Raising Flour
- 12oz [350g] Mixed Dried Fruit
- ½pt [300ml] Cold Tea – We recommend Breakfast or Camomile
- 4oz [125g] Golden Caster Sugar
- 1 Egg, beaten
- A pinch Mixed Spice
- A drop of Irish Brandy (optional)
- Charms
- Honey (for decoration)
Method
- Place the fruit and cold tea in a bowl and soak overnight.
- For those who like their brack with a bit of a kick, add a drop of Irish brandy to the fruit mixture.
- Add sugar, egg, flour and mixed spice and mix well.
- Wrap your charms in greaseproof paper and stir into mixture.
- Transfer to a greased and lined cake tin.
- Bake in a preheated oven 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 for approx one hour or until risen and firm to the touch.
- Cool on a wire tray.
- When cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and keep for two days before cutting.
Make Your Bake Great!
Make your bake sumptiously sweet by brushing melted honey over the top just before cutting. Alternatively, you can serve it with lashings of rich Irish butter!
