Date and Walnut Cake

This has been such a standby cake of late. Oh we're having a meeting tomorrow morning says Hubby. Not much notice. So while he toddles off to play Over 50's soccer, I toddle off and play cake-making.

I receive rave reviews every time with my Date Cake. I'm surprised how people always seem to gravitate toward the plate with the date loaf smothered with butter as their first choice. This morning? Same again; slightly embarrassing actually. I felt sorry for the coconut slice and the banana and walnut loaf (neither made by me) which remained mostly untouched long after the last slice of date cake had disappeared. I had a couple of pieces of the banana cake - it was yummy too. Still. The date cake supremed.

So if you're interested in a reliably good date cake with a couple of twists; then give my recipe a go. You won't be disappointed.

Date & Walnut Cake

170gm chopped dates
1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda
100gm unsalted or salt reduced butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
rind of a small orange
1 1/2 cups SR flour
freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Method:

• Preheat oven to moderate. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
• Put the dates in a small bowl. Pour in 170mls of piping hot water. Add bicarb of soda. Mix. Set aside to cool a little.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter for a couple of minutes. Add sugar, orange rind; mix further 6 minutes; add vanilla; mix another minute till well combined.
• Beat in eggs till just combined.
• Scrape beaters well to remove all the mixture.
• Add sifted flour, date mixture, a couple of tablespoons of orange juice & using a spatula, mix well till flour is well incorporated. Add more orange juice if required or even milk if desired. We don't want a dry looking mixture; while not pourable it needs to be more on the runnier side. Gently mix through walnuts; immediately fold into the baking tin.
• Bake on a slightly lower temp to avoid darker browning. Should take no longer than 45mins.