Sticky Date and Walnut Loaf

Ingredients

• 🌴Dates, pitted and roughly chopped250 g
• 💧Water, hot250 ml
• 🧪Baking Soda1 tsp
• 🌰Walnuts, roughly chopped100 g
• 🧈Unsalted Butter, softened, plus extra for greasing115 g
• 🍯Dark Brown Sugar150 g
• 🥚Large Eggs, at room temperature2
• 🫙Vanilla Extract2 tsp
• 🌾All-Purpose Flour200 g
• 🧪Baking Powder1 tsp
• 🧈Salted Butter, for the glaze45 g
• 🍯Blackstrap Molasses, for the glaze60 ml
• 🥣Plain Greek Yogurt, for the glaze30 g
• 🍬Coarse Cane Sugar, for the glaze15 g

Contains Dairy, Eggs, Gluten, Nuts, Tree nuts. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Prepare the dates

   Put the Dates into a medium saucepan with the Hot Water and set it over medium heat until the water just begins to steam. Stir in the Baking Soda and let the dates sit for about 5 minutes, then they should look glossy, swollen, and ready to mash at the edges; if the pan boils hard, lower the heat so the dates soften instead of breaking apart aggressively.

   6 min
2. 2

   Toast the walnuts

   Spread the Walnuts in a single layer in a small frying pan and set it over medium heat, shaking the pan now and then so they toast evenly. After about 4 minutes they should smell warm and nutty with pale golden edges; if they darken too fast, tip them onto a plate straight away so the residual heat does not push them bitter.

   4 min
3. 3

   Cool and chop

   Tip the softened Dates and any syrupy liquid into a bowl and leave them for about 10 minutes, then chop the softened pieces if any large bits remain so the batter stays even. Stir in the Walnuts and let the mixture lose its heat until it feels warm rather than hot; if you rush this, the butter in the batter can melt and make the loaf dense.

   10 min
4. 4

   Cream butter and sugar

   In a large mixing bowl, beat the Unsalted Butter and Dark Brown Sugar together with a wooden spoon until the mixture looks fluffy, slightly paler, and no longer feels grainy under the spoon, about 3 minutes. If it still feels sandy, keep beating and press the mixture against the side of the bowl so the sugar starts to dissolve into the butter.

   3 min
5. 5

   Beat in the eggs

   Add the Large Eggs one at a time to the butter mixture and beat well after each addition until the batter turns glossy and smoother, about 30 seconds per egg. If it starts to look slightly curdled, keep beating and it will come back together once the flour goes in, so do not panic and add the dry ingredients too early.

   2 min
6. 6

   Mix the batter

   Stir the Vanilla Extract into the bowl, then add the All-Purpose Flour and Baking Powder and fold gently just until the last dry streaks disappear, about 1 minute. The batter should look thick, soft, and only lightly streaked; if you keep stirring past that point, the loaf can turn tough instead of tender.

   2 min
7. 7

   Fold in fruit

   Fold the Date mixture through the batter with a few broad turns until the fruit and nuts are evenly dotted through and the mixture looks dense but still spoonable, about 1 minute. Stop as soon as the Dates are distributed; if you keep folding, the batter can lose the air you built in earlier and bake up compact.

   1 min
8. 8

   Fill the loaf tin

   Scrape the batter into the lined 20cm loaf tin and smooth the top with the back of the spoon so it reaches the corners evenly. Give the tin a gentle tap on the counter and stop when the surface settles and the big air pockets disappear; if you see a hollow in one corner, nudge the batter out with the spoon before baking.

   3 min
9. 9

   Bake the loaf in the oven at 180°C/350°F for about 45 minutes, until the top is a deep bronze brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with only a few sticky crumbs clinging to it. If the top darkens before the middle is set, lay a loose piece of parchment paper over it for the last stretch so it finishes baking without catching.

   45 min
10. 10

    Make the glaze

    Set a small saucepan over low heat and melt the Salted Butter with the Blackstrap Molasses and Coarse Cane Sugar, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes until the mixture turns glossy and looks like a smooth, dark syrup. Take it off the heat and whisk in the Plain Greek Yogurt until the glaze looks thick, shiny, and pourable; if it seizes a little, keep whisking and it will loosen as it warms from the pan.

    4 min
11. 11

    Cool the loaf

    Leave the baked loaf in its tin for about 10 minutes, then lift it out onto a wire rack and let it cool until the surface is warm rather than hot, about 15 minutes more. The crumb should feel set but still tender when pressed lightly; if you glaze it too soon, the topping runs off instead of clinging to the crust.

    25 min
12. 12

    Glaze and slice

    Brush or spoon the warm glaze over the loaf in thick, slow strokes so it clings to the top and trickles down the sides in shiny lines. Leave it for about 5 minutes until the glaze sets to a tacky finish, then slice with a sharp knife; the blade should cut through the crumb cleanly and leave sticky date flecks on the cut face.

    5 min

Nutrition per serving