250mlfreshly brewed coffee.Made either from instant or ground coffee
½teaspoonsof bicarbonate of soda
170gunsalted buttersoftened
170gdark brown sugar
3medium eggs
1teaspoonvanilla extract
225gself raising flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180deg fan assisted. Line 2 x 1lb loaf tins with baking parchment or cake liners
Place the chopped dates and coffee in a saucepan over a high heat and gently bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 5 mins to soften the dates and reduce the liquid. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and leave to one side to cool slightly.
Add the Bicarbonate of soda. It will fizz a little. Mix until well combined.
Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until well combined and lighter in colour. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour each time. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add the remaining flour, vanilla extract and the cooled date mixture. Mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tins and bake for 35 – 40 mins or until baked, testing the centre of the loaves with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Notes
TIPS AND FAQ’S
An alternative to coffee – You could substitute the coffee for tea or some other beverage. Personally, I think the flavour of coffee works best with dates.
Dark Brown Sugar – If you are going to make any Coffee and Date cake, I encourage you to use dark brown sugar whenever you can. It adds a delicious toffee flavour that you don’t get when you use plain white sugar. You could use Demerara sugar is you wish, although that doesn’t have the same strength of toffee flavour.
Can you Freeze Date Cakes?You can freeze these cakes. Wrap them well in freezer bags to help prevent freezer burn. Add a label with the name and date you baked it.
How do you soften Dates with Baking Soda?To make dates softer, simmer them de stoned, in a pan with a little liquid for about 5 mins before adding bicarbonate of soda. This Date Loaf recipe uses freshly brewed coffee. After simmering, take off the heat and add the baking soda. Mix until well combined. Let the mixture cool a little before adding the softened dates to your recipe.
How to Serve a Date and Coffee LoafLike most loaf cakes, you can eat a slice on its own. Or you could serve a slice spread with butter, similar to serving a Yorkshire Tea Loaf with a slice of nice crumbly cheese.