Date and Walnut Loaf

S does it time and again coming up with good baked goodies rather effortlessly.  All I can recall was her leafing through a book for a recipe.  And the next thing I know is a delicious looking loaf sitting on a cooling rack.  I am totally impressed.

The recipe is from the book - Traditional Family Cakes - a collection of recipes with no-nonsense recipes.  A tip for a good date and walnut loaf as given in the book is the use of  fragrant tea to soak the dates like Earl Grey or a good quality English tea - PG Tips was used here.  Soaking dates in hot tea till softened gives it a nice moist and crumbly texture.

Besides, if you note the minimal amount of sugar, butter and flour used - you can afford to reach for a second or possibly a third slice without any guilt.

            (This pic courtesy - DR )

Ingredients :- Serves 8 (* I would think 8  poor eaters) - safely say about 4- 5 if you have a sweet tooth like mine.

Dates - 100 gms - stoned and chopped
Soda bi carb - 1/2 tsp
Lemon Rind - 1/2 lemon finely grated
Hot tea - 100 ml
Unsalted butter - 40 gms + extra for greasing
Muscavado sugar - light - 70gms ( brown sugar was used)
Egg - 1 small
Self raising flour - 125 gms
Walnuts - 25 gms - chopped
Walnut halves - to decorate - a few

Place dates, bicarb of soda and lemon rind in a bowl and add the hot tea.  Leave to soak for 10 mins till softened.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Then add the egg and beat further. Stir the date mixture into the egg-butter-sugar mixture.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon.

Then the walnuts.

Line the loaf tin with parchment paper.
Tip from Jamie Oliver - Cut the paper as per the tin. Hold under a tap till wet. Squeeze out all the water . And then open out paper - you will find it pliable and can easily line your tin - grease it.

Spoon mixture into prepared tin.  Smooth the surface.  Top with walnut halves.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until risen, firm and golden brown.

Cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy ! 

Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce

A Donna Hay's Recipe - very nice, very simple.  I used dates that were mildly sweet and the topping with toffee sauce was perfect with the pudding.

Ingredients: ( Serves 6 )

Chopped Pitted Dates - 210 gms
Boiling Water - 250 ml - 1 cup
Soda bi carb (baking soda) - 1 teaspoon
Butter (chopped) - 100 gms
Brown sugar - 135 gms
Eggs - 2 nos
Self Raising Flour - 150 gms

Toffee Sauce ( I made just a third of this so make accordingly)
Butter - chopped - 150 gms
Single pouring cream - 250 ml
Brown sugar - 265 gms

Double cream - if you wish to put a dollop on the pudding

Place pitted dates, water and soda bicarb in a bowl - allow to stand for 5 minutes
I processed it to make an even mixture
Add butter and sugar and process till well combined

Now add eggs and flour and mix till just combined

Preheat the oven to 180C
Grease and line a 26cm x 16 cm square tin with non stick baking paper

Pour in the tin
Bake for 30-35 minutes till cooked - test with a skewer

Cool in tin for 10 minutes.
Cut in squares.

While it is cooling -  make the toffee sauce
Place butter, cream, sugar in saucepan over medium heat
Still till butter has melted
Bring to boil, cook for 5 minutes or till it thickens slightly.
Spoon over the squares
Put a dollop of cream (optional ) but it is really tasty when you do

* ( the above pic is when the toffee sauce has cooled down.  A few seconds in the microwave and the toffee sauce melts a bit... so have it the way you want it .. )

Date Cake

I had made the cake earlier.  But in the microwave.  Even though it tasted good, it didn't have that glorious brown colour and was not appreciated as much as this one. You cannot beat the slow heat and the browning effect of the oven.  Even the old stove top one would do.

This one is from Tickling Palates and the best part is if you have the dates, most likely you would have the rest of the ingredients right there in the kitchen.  No eggs, no butter, no milk either.  And you have a great tasting cake.  A little like the plum cake.  Make it right away...

PS - it just requires a little preparation, so at least start about 3-4 hours before you actually want to eat it !

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Dates - 1 cup - de-seeded, chopped fine
Vegetable oil - 1/2 ( half) cup
Baking soda - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2 cups
Cinnamon powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Almonds ( or any nuts of your choice) 1/4 cup - optional

( the recipe does not even require a weighing scale :-)   )

In a deep pan take the sugar, add salt, cinnamon powder, chopped dates, Oil, and Water.
Mix. 
Heat and bring to a boil
Simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes

Take off heat.  Allow to cool completely  - this will take some time

Once the mixture is cooled
Preheat the oven to 180 C
Prepare the tin.  Line with greased - grease proof or parchment paper.

Sieve the flour and baking soda twice preferably
Add this little by little to the cooled date mixture
Whisk manually or with an electric mixer
Make sure it is free of lumps
Transfer to the prepared tin and put in the oven

Bake for about 30 mins.  Keep a close eye on the cake.
Check to see if the knife comes out clean when you insert in the centre

Remove.  Cool thoroughly before you attempt to remove it from the tin
( I am always impatient at this stage )

Slice and serve.  Warm.  Cold or whatever.
Have it plain or with custard, ice-cream, plain thick cream.  All combinations will taste as good

Moist Date Cake - In the Microwave

This recipe from Tickling Palates has been modified to get some colour since it was made in the microwave.  If you want the rich colour you will have to bake it.  But this one still tasted lovely.

This recipe is amazing.  The first time I made it tasted good but was absolutely pale in colour and then Radhika of Tickling Palates advised me to use brown sugar which I think is a very good suggestion.  I did not have stock of it when I made this second attempt and therefore I caramalised the sugar and added some coffee brew to it to get a slightly brownish colour.

Maida - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt - pinch
Dates - pitted and cut finely - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
Coffee brew - I used good kapi decoction - 2-3 tbsp
Cinnamon powder - 3/4 tsp

Grease a microwave bowl. I also used some greaseproof paper to line the sides and bottom

Pass the Maida and the baking powder through a sieve a couple of times.  Keep ready

Take a thick bottomed pan.  Add the sugar and on a low heat keep till the sugar dissolves and caramalises slightly.  Do not let it turn to a dark brown - it might become bitter.
Take off fire and add the water.  The sugar will form a sheet - but then it will eventually dissolve in the water.

Add the pinch of salt, pitted chopped dates, coffee brew, cinnamon and vegetable oil.
Bring to a boil and then allow the mixture to simmer for about 15-20 mins.
Take off fire.
Allow to cool thoroughly.
Gradually stir in the flour and see that there are no lumps.
It should be the right cake batter consistency but just in case it is thick add a little water to get it to the right.

Pour in the greased bowl and place in microwave
It should take about 4-5 minutes only on full 100%
Check by inserting a knife tip in the center.

PS - The coffee and date combination is quite good too.