Earlier I shared with you one of the loaf recipes with banana and chocolate as main ingredients (Banana & Chocolate Loaf). Today, I am absolutely delighted to present the recipe of loaf made with date and walnut, perhaps two of the most well known dry fruits. Those of you who are bored to have the same old American white bread or even the brown breads in breakfast, will love it. A couple of layers of date in the middle with the pieces of walnut all over the loaf slices is quite extra ordinary. A bite in the loaf with naughty walnuts playing between the teeth and sweet dates sticking to you tongue, makes your day !!!

Ingredients to serve 10 :

1. Unsalted butter – 175 gm. + extra for greasing
2. Pitted dates (chopped into small pieces) – 225 gm.
3. Grated rind and juice of orange – 1
4. Water – 50 ml.
5. Brown sugar – 175 gm.
6. Egg (beaten) – 3
7. Wholemeal flour – 85 gm.
8. Plain flour – 85 gm.
9. Baking powder – 2 teaspoon
10. Walnut (chopped) – 55 gm.
11. Whole or half walnut – 8

Procedure :

Grease and line the bottom and end of a 900 gm./2 lb loaf tin.

Place the dated in a pan with the orange rind, juice and water and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, or until a soft puree has formed.

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then sift in the flours and fold in with chopped walnuts. Spread one-third of the mixture over the bottom of the prepared loaf tin and spread half the date puree over the top.

Repeat the layers, ending with the cake mixture. Arrange whole/half walnuts on top.

Bake in a preheated oven, 160°C/325ºF, for 1-1¼ hours, or until well risen and firm to touch.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn out, peel off the lining paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Serve in slices.

You can also decorate with orange zest.