While replenishing some baking items at the local bulk shop I purchased some dried dates. Not really sure what I was going to do with them, probably my idea was to add them to some festive shortbread, I wandered home with them anyway. The holiday rush kicked in in the days that followed which sidelined my idea. After having those few days that preoccupied my baking thoughts yesterday those dried dates danced around in my head. Until I resided on a date nut loaf. Even though the recipe called for fresh dates I used the dried dates I bought and the loaf turned out great. The recipe is simple as you do not need multiple bowls. One pot for mixing everything together keeps the washing up to a minimum.
Date Nut Loaf
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1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup of water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 teaspoons dark rum
1 teaspoon Camp coffee - optional
1 cup chopped walnuts, reserving a few for the top
Pre heat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) Grease and flour and 9x5 loaf pan.
In sauce pan over medium heat. Bring dates and water to a boil. Stir in the butter and sugar until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Once the date mixture has cooled for the 10 minutes blend in the flour, egg, vanilla, rum and Camp coffee. Stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Add the remaining walnuts on top. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes: You may combine a multitude of fruits like cranberries, apricots, pineapples, raisins, figs, and blueberries. Try adding orange zest. Making a drizzle icing to go on top is the simplest of touches that adds a bit of sweetness.