Date Loaf

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Welcome to Holiday Treats Week on Newlyweds.  I will be posting a new treat each day this week, and I hope you will share some of your favorite treats too. Link up below, or even share your recipes in the comments section.

This recipe goes back 4 generations, from my Great Grandmother on my Dad’s Maternal side (confusing enough?).  We’ll call her Grandma H, my Granny’s Mom!  Granny told me she made this recipe every Christmas, and I can see why.  With all the holiday treat recipes loaded down with butter and sugar, this one is a lighter, yet filling change.  Hardly any butter at all.  The dates make this cake loaf moist and sweet.  They also give the cake that rich flavor that you would never know they are albeit a “healthy” holiday treat.  This loaf is the perfect compliment to a glass of milk or hot coffee.

Thank you Granny for sharing this gem with me.  I was thinking of Grandma H the whole time I was making it, so there’s a bit of extra love included.

Ingredients: 1 ½ cup dates, chopped; 1 heaping tablespoon butter; 1 cup water; 1 egg, beaten; 1 cup white sugar; 2 cups flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup pecans, chopped; 1 cup raisins and cherries; 1 teaspoon vanilla

Chopped dates, should be down your baking or isle with the dried/canned fruits.

P.S.: I doubled the recipe in these pictures, and made a full pan of mini loaves.

In a medium sauce pan add the chopped dates, butter, and water.

Mix well and bring to a rolling boil; set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and salt; mix.

Beat the egg slightly.

Once the date mixture has cooled, add it to your mixing bowl, along with the slightly beaten egg and sugar.  Mix well.

Add the vanilla.

And flour in 3 small batches.  Mixing and scraping down the sides in between.

Then fold in the nuts (I used pecans), raisins, and cherries.

Spray your loaf pan.  Mom gave me this mini loaf pan and I couldn’t wait to use it.

Spoon in the batter equally and bake, for a large loaf 50-60 minutes, for these mini’s about 35 minutes at 350°.

Remove from the loaf pan to cool.

I was giving these as gifts so I wrapped them in some red cling wrap, tied some string around them, and some craft paper, and attached a label on top that said Happy Holidays, Date Loaf from the Newlyweds.

I am glad I could share some of my great grandmother with you all.

Enjoy!

Print This Recipe

Date Loaf

Great-Grandma H

1 ½ c. dates, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon butter
1 cup water
1 egg, beaten
1 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raisins and cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350, lightly grease a loaf pan.  Mix the dates, butter & water, bring to a boil and set aside to cool.  When cooled, mix in the beaten egg & sugar.  Mix the flour, baking soda & salt together.  Add dry ingredients in 3 batches to the batter.  Fold in nuts, raisins and cherries and vanilla.  Pour into the loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.  If using mini loaf pans bake 30-35 minutes.

Please join in on the Holiday Treat week. If you have a recipe you’d like to share please share with Linky Tools, I will have it up all week so feel free to add as many recipes as you would like. If you don’t have a blog please leave the recipe in the comments section. I love new recipes. Can’t wait to see what you’ve been cooking up. Please also be sure to link back here so others can join in too.