Delicious Date Loaf
This Date Loaf is rich, moist and so delicious! A classic recipe right from Grandma’s recipe box.
Dates have been used in baking for many, many years, and for some reason over time they slowly became a forgotten ingredient. I know when most people think of dates and desserts, they are immediately taken back to their Grandmother’s kitchens. But I think it’s time to resurrect the date and give it the proper limelight it deserves, especially when it comes to baking. There’s just something absolutely delicious and irresistible about dates in desserts.
Dates are nutritious, high in fibre, naturally sweet and very very delicious! Recently I’ve started to add dates to my regular baking pantry checklist. I like to keep at least 1 or 2 blocks on hand for last minute Chewy Date Oat Bar cravings and for times when I want to make this Delicious Date Loaf.
This Date Loaf is loaded with dates, making it rich and moist. In fact, this recipe uses an entire 500 gram brick of dried dates! Delicious. I like to serve this loaf lightly warm with a smathering of butter. I just pop a slice in the microwave for about 10 seconds and eat it for breakfast in the morning with a cup of coffee…so so good.
Date Loaf Recipe Tips:
- The dates that I use to make this are the ones you buy in a block (brick) that you can find in the baking aisle of your grocery store. I buy the 500 gram blocks and use the whole thing for this recipe.
- You can cook the dates several days ahead of time, and keep them in your fridge until you are ready to use them.
- Feel free to add nuts to this recipe. Walnuts are particularly delicious. I would add 1/2 to 1 cup, depending on how nutty you would like your loaf to be.
- I have listed the baking time for this recipe as 1 hour and 15 minutes. Sometimes this loaf takes a little longer to bake than I expect, I think because of the dates and how dense they are. I would start checking your loaf at the 1 hour mark and see how it is. I have had to bake some loaves for almost 1 1/2 hours. Use a toothpick inserted into the centre of your cake to check for doneness.
- This loaf keeps well for a few days. I store mine in an air tight container on my counter.
- This loaf freezes well.
Delicious Date Loaf
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Baking
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups chopped pitted dates
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a saucepan mix together the chopped dates, water and baking soda. Then over low-medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, then add the tablespoon of butter. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the dates are soft and mushy. Set aside to cool.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder.
- Using a mixer cream together the egg, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Once the date mixture is cooled, add it to the egg mixture and combine.
- Stir in the flour mix.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool, then serve and enjoy!
Keywords: date loaf
More Delicious Recipes with Dates:
And if you’re looking for more recipes, make sure to have a look at my collection of Classic Baking Recipes here! Enjoy!
Have a delicious day!