Walnut & Date Loaf

Oppsie daisie... it has been slightly more than a month since my last update. Well it's year end and it's school holidays... have been busy with the young lad oh yeah excuses, excuses! Reviews are limited as we don't eat out as much as we did before. Somehow Capt'n Hook and my senses seems to be able to sniff out msg and we're getting a little intolerant of it as we tend to get thirsty rather quickly after a meal lashed with it these days. As for recipes... hmmmm there were just too many easy peasy repeats but perhaps I will post up some really good new ones.

Anyway, here's something I've baked some time back but I guess it's a good one for this coming festive season. Cakes laden with fruits and nuts are always popular. I've used Donna Hay's Date Loaf recipe from the Modern Classics Book 2 but gave it some tweaks to suit our taste buds.

We love this loaf a lot as it stayed moist and disappeared quickly. I've reduced the sugar as the dates are already pretty sweet. Utmost delish when eaten warm slathered with thick layer of butter!

Walnut & Date Loaf
(modified recipe of Donna Hay's Date Loaf from Modern Classics Book 2

1 1/2 (190 g) cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
130 g sugar (original 2/3 cup)
1 cup rough chopped dates
1/2 cup rough chopped walnuts (originally called for pecans)
125 g butter
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 160C and grease 10cm x 20cm loaf tin.

Sift flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, dates and walnuts into the flour mixture. Ensure the chopped dates get separated as they tend to stick together in clumps.

Melt butter and milk in a saucepan over low heat until butter is just melted. Cool a little and pour into flour mixture together with the eggs. Stir until combined. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for about 1 hour 15 mins or until cook when tested with skewer. Cool in tin for 5 mins before turning out. Serve warm, either plain or best with some butter.