Food Monday ~ Date & Walnut Cake
This recipe takes me back. I first tasted it when Jack brought me to meet his extended family in Co Durham, England. I have made it regularly over the years and it proved very popular.
Date & Walnut Cake
Preheat oven to 160°C
8ozs Dates chopped
4ozs Caster Sugar
1level tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2ozs Butter or Margarine
Pinch Salt
1 Egg, beaten
6 fluid ozs Water
2ozs Walnuts
8ozs Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Vanilla essence
Place dates, sugar, salt, soda and margarine in a mixing bowl. Boil water, pour over dates etc. and mix well to melt the margarine. Cool a little. Add beaten egg, walnuts, flour & vanilla essence. Mix to a smooth batter type consistency. Pour into a greased & lined 2lb loaf tin. Bake for 1½ hours. Cool in tin.
Variation: Try apricots and almonds instead of the dates and walnuts.
Lottie said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:18 am
Sounds yummy. You don’t have a nice recipe for Banana bread do you?
Grannymar said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:24 am
Lottie
I do have a Banana bread recipe and will post it next week.
Lottie said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:33 am
Yay thanks GM. I LOVE banana bread. If you need to test the recipe I am happy to volunteer as a taster!
Deborah said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:44 am
Sounds yummy Grannymar. Am trying to envision it… is it a dark cake? Or more pound cake like?
Grannymar said,
July 7, 2008 at 11:17 am
@Lottie - Next week you can make it and come back with a review
@Deborah - The Date & Walnut cake would come between a Banana Cake and a fruit brack in colour.
Magpie 11 said,
July 7, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Oh Boy ! Childhood memories…..
Throw in some of those dark Glacé Cherries you can some times find…just for over indulgence’s sake!
Talking of Childhood memories: My mother made sultana buns every week, she willingly gave away the recipe but no one could make them like she did. Even my sisters cannot to this day and she taught them. Didn’t like them myself, I had to eat one evry tea time, but everyone else raved about them. Especially her male friends.
I womder what she did that made the difference?
Grannymar said,
July 7, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Magpie
It was a special stir of the ingredients with ‘mothers love’ that did it!
Baino said,
July 7, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Aww goodie. The only cakes I really do like are these heavy types, Date and Walnut, Banana, Carrot . . . Used to make date and walnut in a cylindrical tin for little circles of yumminess, daubed with butter whilst fresh out of the oven! I can smell it now.
Mike said,
July 7, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Who says the postman never delivers on a Monday
Anyone care to guess what arrived!
Grannymar said,
July 7, 2008 at 9:52 pm
@Baino - You will be happy for a couple of weeks so!
@Mike - A date and walnut cake
Mike said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Something more shiny than that
Grannymar said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Mike
Is it something to blog about?
Mike said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Its something to be proud of
Grannymar said,
July 7, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Mike
A Swimming trophy!