Soften by soaking (8)
I believe the answer is:
macerate
'soften by soaking' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for macerate that I've seen before include "Soften food by soaking" , "Cream tea (anag) -- soften by steeping in liquid" , "Steep in liquid like cream tea" , "Soak" .)