Vegan malt loaf - this moreish traditional malt loaf recipe is quick and easy to make in just one bowl.
It is sticky, moist and fragrant. Delicious served with (vegan) butter and a cup of tea!
This vegan malt loaf is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, slathered with vegan butter and served with a hot cup of tea.
It is dense, squidy and filled with enough fruit to be satisfying, and is also virtually fat-free so it almost feels healthy. But it is still sweet, sticky and utterly delicious.
What Is Malt Loaf?:
Malt loaf is a traditional British loaf cake, commonly served as a snack with tea. It is dark, dense, chewy, sticky and squidgy, filled with juicy, tea-soaked dried fruit and with a wonderful fragrant malty flavour.
Malt extract gives this cake it's name and creates the sweet, sticky, chewy texture. The cake has no added fat, but is traditionally served spread with lashings of butter to make up for this fact!
Homemade malt loaf is a little different to shop bought ones (Soreen being the most popular), but I think that it is so much nicer!
It is also incredibly easy to make, with just a few ingredients.
What Do I Need To Make Vegan Malt Loaf?:
Malt extract: This is the key ingredient to make malt loaf. Malt extract is a thick, sticky syrup with a delicious malted flavour. I picked up a jar from Morrison's but if you can't find it in the supermarket then most health shops will have it, or you can get it online.
Black tea: the fruits are soaked in hot tea to plump them up, keeping the malt loaf moist. I use English Breakfast tea, but Earl Grey would work well too.
Brown sugar: Dark brown soft or muscovado sugar adds a lovely treacle flavour. You can use light brown instead, but do go for dark if you have it.
Dried fruit: Raisins and chopped prunes. You can use dates instead of the prunes if you really want to, but I do recommend going for prunes; they add a lovely squidgy texture without being overly sweet.
Milk: This replaces the usual egg. Unsweetened soy is my go-to, but any variety should work. Oat or cashew would be my next choices.
Plain flour: I just use regular plain (all-purpose) flour; but spelt should also work, or you can use 50/50 plain and wholemeal flours.
Baking powder and soda: You need both for the best rise and texture. Don't swap one for the other, they are not the same.
How To Make Vegan Malt Loaf:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Place the raisins and chopped prunes in a large bowl, pour over the hot tea, stir and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
Stir in the malt extract and brown sugar until well combined.
Stir in the milk, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
Finally, stir in the flour until no dry lumps remain.
Pour the batter into a lined loaf tin and bake for about 1 hour, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Brush the warm loaf with more malt extract then leave to cool in the tin completely before slicing.
Top Tips:
All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
I don't recommend using green, white or fruit/herbal teas to soak the fruit in; stick to black tea.
Malt loaf is even better if you store it for a couple of days before slicing it. Wrap it well in tin foil and store in an airtight container for 2-3 days before serving. The flavours will mature and it will become even more squidgy and delicious.
It will keep for about a week in an airtight container at room temperature.
Can I Freeze It?:
Yes, this vegan malt loaf freezes well, either whole or in slices. Make sure that it has cooled completely before freezing; wrap it well and freeze for up to 3 months.
Allow to defrost at room temperature to serve.
More Vegan Loaf Cake Recipes:
- Vegan Earl Grey tea loaf
- Vegan orange loaf cake
- Vegan lemon drizzle cake
- Easy vegan banana bread
- Vegan marble cake
- Vegan pumpkin bread
- Vegan orange cranberry cake
- Sweet potato bread with pecan streusel
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Malt Loaf
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) raisins
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) chopped pitted prunes (or dates)
- 150 ml (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) strong, hot black tea
- 150 g (5 ⅓ oz) malt extract (syrup) (plus extra for brushing)
- 100 g (½ cup) dark brown soft sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 250 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3. Grease an approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 in loaf tin (2lb loaf tin) and line it with baking parchment.
- Place the raisins and chopped prunes in a large bowl, pour over the hot tea, stir and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the malt extract and brown sugar until well combined.
- Stir in the milk, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Finally, stir in the flour until no dry lumps remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour, until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (watch out for bits of prune).
- Brush the hot loaf with some malt extract. I find the best way to do this is to spoon some on top and spread it about with the back of the spoon.
- Leave the malt loaf to cool completely in the tin before turning out and slicing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- Malt loaf is even better if you store it for a couple of days before slicing it. Wrap it well in tin foil and store in an airtight container for 2-3 days before serving. The flavours will mature and it will become even more squidgy and delicious.
Lesley
Absolutely gorgeous malt loaf! Has been eaten in a flash with requests for more next weekend! Very moist & extremely tasty. Thank you Hannah
Emma
Hi Hannah, do you know how many calories are in a slice?
Hannah
Hi Emma, I don't I'm afraid. You could try putting the recipe into My Fitness Pal to get an idea: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Linda
Hello! I’m about to try making this on the weekend. But I am still learning to use weight measures. My question for this recipe is if the malt syrup is measured by weight or by liquid volume (as the black tea and soy milk are). Since the malt is a syrup, I think of it as a liquid, but the recipe card calls for 150 g so I want to make sure before I get started. Thanks for any advice !
Hannah
Hi Linda, by weight. Thick syrups are far easier to measure accurately by weight than by volume. I hope you enjoy it!
Linda
Hi Hannah - the recipe worked perfectly for me. I loved it and may have eaten a bit more than my share. Will definitely make this again!
Debs
Thank you - just perfect. Far far better than any shop bought loaf. Easy to make. Clear instructions etc. Will be making again. Thanks very much and a happy Christmas
Hannah
Hi. Do you know if you can make this is a bread maker on the cake setting at all? Thanks
Hannah
Hi Hannah, I have never actually used a bread maker so I don't know. Sorry I can't help you.
Louise
Can you use gluten free flour?
Hannah
Hi Louise, I haven't tried but I don't see why not.
Benny Jones
Hi Hannah, I've made this a few times now and I adore fresh malt loaf! It's gorgeous. Weird one- do you think this would behave normally in a cupcake case?
Hannah
Hi Benny, Thank you! No idea I'm afraid, I've only ever made malt loaf as a big loaf but it's worth a try!
STEVEN john APPLEFORD
This may be a silly question, because it don't have no dairy products in wont it last a little longer then say a week ? i still have one made 1 month ago do you dare me to try it
when i do make it its so delish it cant wait for two days normally
thanks for sharing it
Hannah
Hi Steven, thank you! I'm glad you enjoy the recipe! I really can't say I'm afraid, it may well keep for longer than a week but I am not an expert on food safety and anything that I'm not going to eat within a few days I tend to freeze.
Kate
Have never made a malt loaf before, but from hereon in, I certainly will be making this again & again. This was sooooooo delicious, and loved by all, from my youngest Daughter to my Mum; whose request it was in the first instance. And you would never know it was a vegan recipe. Unreal. Thank you so much. X
Amanda
Amazing recipe. I remember having malt loaf and a cup of tea with my nan when I was in the UK. We don’t have it here in Australia but now I can recreate the memory. Thank you for developing and sharing this recipe.
Annie Frost
This is a fantastic malt loaf, you’d never guess it was vegan. It’s one of my top ‘go to’ recipes, and I’m going to try it with gluten free flour today for a friend who’s coeliac. I’ll report back!
Magda Palmer Cordingley
A delightful recipe but for a Vegan loaf one should use Coconut sugar because dark brown sugar is white sugar (bleached with animal bones) then coloured and flavour enhanced with molasses.
Hannah
I live in the UK where that is not the case, pretty much all sugar here (apart from royal icing sugar) is vegan. In the US you can use USDA certified organic sugar as that is vegan.
Julia
The most delicious thing I have ever baked! And so easy too, everything goes into one big bowl then into the loaf tin, then it's ready in an hour. The hardest part is not eating it all at once! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, it really is incredible - full of flavour, perfectly squidgy and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who has tried it. I've made it 4 times in the last couple of weeks, I might be addicted 🙂
Annie Frost
I saw a comment earlier about whether this can be made gluten free, and I was going to give it a try today, but the malt extract is made from barley, which is not gluten free. So wonderful for me, sadly not for my coeliac friend.
Kiki
Dark and delicious - thanks so much for the recipe! It did stick a little to my baking liner, probably as there’s no fat, so I’ll grease that when baking next time. I wasn’t sure whether to include the tea that hadn’t soaked into the dried fruit - I added half of it and the loaf was just right. I might let it soak overnight next time with some orange and lemon zest included. Definitely making it again!