Date Loaf

Mmmm, I love dates! So naturally I love most things with dates in them. Brumbys sell their date loaf for maybe more than $5 for a small loaf, and I thought - hey, it can't be all that difficult or expensive to make one myself, right? Correct. The recipe I used is so easy - almost as easy as making bread using the breadmaker. Much easier than baking a cake. Anyway, dates are already naturally sweet, so there is no need to use so much sugar. One recipe I looked at called for 1 cup of sugar! I used 1/2 cup of raw sugar and it was almost too sweet to be called a loaf. Must remember to cut down sugar a little bit more the next time I make it. Variations of this recipe includes adding nuts and dried mixed fruits. I added a little bit of sultanas just to try something a little different.

(Edited to add that I cut down the sugar by half to use 1/4 cup and it was just right. I also tried a really yummy variation using cocoa powder and choc bits.)

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups SR flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped dates (~130g)
1/4 cup sultanas (~30g)
1/2 cup raw sugar (okay to cut to 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinammon
1 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degC. Place all ingredients except the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Stir until the butter melts (and enjoy the beautiful spicy aroma of the mixture). Sift in flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix well. Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf tin. Bake in the oven 180 degC for 45–50 minutes (for conventional oven. If using fan-forced oven, reduce heat to 170 degC). Yummy eaten warm fresh out of the oven, or after it has cooled down.