Description
A soft, moist tea loaf packed with chopped dates and stem ginger, baked until golden and topped with a sticky stem ginger icing.
Ingredients
250 g (about 1 1/2 cups) pitted dates, chopped, plus a few extra for decorating
100 g (about 7 tablespoons) butter, softened
150 g (about 3/4 cup, packed) soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs
250 g (about 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
200 ml (about 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 balls stem ginger in syrup, chopped
For the icing: 150 g (about 1 1/4 cups) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted
For the icing: 1 ball stem ginger in syrup, chopped, plus extra to decorate
For the icing: 2 tablespoons syrup from the stem ginger jar
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4), or 350°F. Grease and line a 900 g (about 9 x 5-inch) loaf tin with baking parchment.
2. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Stir in the milk and vanilla, then fold in the chopped dates.
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and bicarbonate of soda. Fold into the wet mixture until just combined.
5. Fold in the chopped stem ginger.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top.
7. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
9. For the icing, mix the icing sugar with the chopped stem ginger and the ginger syrup, adding a few drops of water if needed to make a thick, pourable icing.
10. Pour the icing over the cooled cake and decorate with extra chopped dates and stem ginger. Let it set, then slice.
Notes
Adapted from the Date and Ginger Loaf Cake published by Olive Magazine (the date, butter, egg, flour, raising agent, milk, vanilla, brown sugar, and stem ginger quantities, the icing, the 180°C oven, the 900 g loaf tin, the 50 minute bake, and the serves 10 yield are from the source). The mixing order, the cooling times, and the exact amount of water for the icing are estimates because the full method was not available to us. The recipe has not been tested.
Chop the dates fairly small so they are spread through every slice.
Do not overmix after adding the flour, or the cake can turn tough.
Nutrition is an approximate estimate per slice (10 slices), including the icing.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 54g
- Sodium: 206mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 78g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 80mg