A Date or Two

 Whether fresh or dried, dates are a naturally sweet snack food and eaten as such in many countries. Quite often the dates are pitted (or stoned) and then either glazed with a glucose syrup when dried or stuffed with walnuts, almonds, candied citrus peel and cream cheese. In recent times chocolate covered dates have seen a modern reinvention, as have sparkling date juices, which are used as an alternative to champagne in many Middle Eastern Countries.
Dates can be used in sweet and savory cooking, chopped up in tagines, served in salads with puy lentils or cous cous and why not use pureed dates in your BBQ sauce. For sweet cooking, use dates in cookies, scones, biscotti, cakes or stuffed with a variety of sweet fillings wrap in filo pastry, deep fry and serve with a flavored sugar syrup.

Date loaves are a popular type of cake served at tea times and in the states especially around the holidays.
Date and Walnut Loaf Cake
110g Fresh Dates, stones removed and chopped
55g Butter
225ml Water 
1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda 
225g Self raising flour 
55g  Chopped walnuts (or you can use Pecans instead)

170g Dark brown sugar 
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
Bring to boil the dates and water, adding the butter and sugar, simmer gently on medium heat until the the butter melts and the sugar has dissolved. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon to slightly mash up the dates. Remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes
Combine self raising flour with walnuts and then add to cooled date mixture. Mix well with wooden spoon and add beaten egg and vanilla extract. Spoon mixture into a lined 1lb loaf tin.
Bake in a pre heated oven for 60 to 75 minutes at 170c /fan 150c/gas 3.
Leave to cool before slicing and serve simply with butter.
If serving as dinner dessert then make into individual loaves or as mini cakes and  serve warm with Butterscotch sauce and a scoop of ice cream (my favorite ice cream with this is ginger but vanilla, banana or chocolate work just as well)
These loaf cakes freeze really well, so why not make a batch in advance.
Butterscotch Sauce 
165g dark brown soft sugar 
125g unsalted butter, cubed 
300ml extra-thick double cream
Place all the ingredients in a pan over a medium heat, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously to prevent sticking and burning, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. 
Allow to cool slightly before serving

This basic recipe can be adapted to make a variety of cakes/loafs, here are a few ideas to help you along:
Change the flavors and texture by adding a banana or a handful of cherries and lighten the color of the loaf by substituting the dark sugar with light brown.
You can replace the nuts to your personal preference or leave out completely but you may need to add a little extra flour.
You can also substitute white flour with wholemeal or a combination of both for a better fibre content.
Make a ginger frosting and spread over the cooled loaf before slicing, this makes a great tea time treat.
I prefer the addition of a teaspoon of ground ginger to the mix but you can add all spice, ground cinnamon, nutmeg or why not drizzle with honey once baked.

 Fresh Dates

Happy Baking!!!