Aunty Mary's Date and Walnut Loaf

by Aunty Mary

Something good from Yorkshire

Ingredients

• 100g (3½ oz) Unsalted Butter plus extra for greasing.
• 250g (9 oz) Soft dates, roughly chopped.
• 150ml (5fl oz) Boiling Water.
• 75g (2½ oz) Caster Sugar.
• 55g (2 oz) Dark Muscovado Sugar.
• 2 Medium Eggs, beaten.
• 225g (8 oz) Self-raising flour.
• 1 tsp baking powder.
• 100g (3½ oz) Walnuts, roughly chopped.
• 1 Tbsp Demerara Sugar, to sprinkle.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C Fan) Gas 4. Grease a 900g (2lb) Loaf tin
   and line with greased baking paper.
2. Combine butter, dates, boiling water, stirring well and allow to stand
   until dates soften.
3. Add both sugars, Muscovado and Caster, to the mixture and stir until disolved.
4. Slowly mix in the two beaten eggs and stir gently to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together the self-raising flour and baking power.
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix. Do not over mix, keep air in.
7. Stir in most of the Walnuts, keep a few to decorate. Pour mix into loaf tin.
8. Sprinkle top with remaining Walnuts and 1 Tbsp Demerara Sugar.
9. Bake for 30 min, then lower temp to 170C (150C Fan) Gas 3 for another 30 minutes.
10. Allow the cake to rest in the tin for 5 min then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.