Steamed Loaf Take 1 - Date and Walnut

Comments: Fabulous result but not the one I wanted.  This recipe steamed into a soft, loose, moist, delicious ‘cake’.  Loaf it was not.  It was unslice-able (is that a concept?) and un-butter-able.  Crumbly implies dry, so I hesitate to use crumbly, but it fell to apart too easily to spread butter on the portions.

It would, however, make a fabulous steamed sponge pudding, which has given me an idea to continue this blog (after I reach the 50^th morning tea at work) with a dozen easy steamed puddings – especially as we will be heading into winter.  After that….. well who knows.

Date & Walnut Cake

6 oz chopped dates – soaked for a 2 hours in a cup (250ml) of hot strong tea.

1 tsp B Soda
dash of vanilla
6 oz soft brown sugar
2 oz butter
50 ml oil
1 egg
6 oz self-raising flour
3 oz walnut pieces

Once the dates have soaked and cooled, add the soda, vanilla, oil, and melted butter.

Sift the flour and sugar, add the nuts followed by the beaten egg and the wet date mixture.

You will need a deep tin (or tins) with a lid or a cover of aluminium foil and string, or a pudding bowl.  Grease it really well, fill it half way (to allow for rising) and cover it well.

Steam it for an hour in a deep, covered pot, with a trivet (metal biscuit cutter) or folded tea-towel under the bottom of the tin.  Make sure the water comes about 1/3 way up the tin.  Check the water level and top up if it looks like simmering dry.

I use a 10 litre hi-top pressure cooker for steaming.

Bake in Oven option:  Bake in a loaf tin for 45 mins to an hour at 180 degrees C  (170 degrees C in a fan oven).

Cool it in the tin – or serve immediately with custard if you are treating it as pudding.