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Delicious date loaf

October 27, 2015
by Chelsea Winter
chelsea winter date loaf, date loaf recipe, delicious date loaf recipe, spiced date loaf
50 Comments

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Date loaf

Delicious date loaf

This loaf is from my bestselling book, Homemade Happiness – and boy is it popular! Even people who don’t eat dates love it.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients

1½ cups chopped pitted dates
¾ cup water
Zest and juice of 1 orange
½ cup milk
150g butter, at room temperature, cubed
1½ cups brown sugar
1 free-range egg, at room temperature
1 free-range egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla essence or paste
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger

Method

Preheat the oven to 160c regular bake. Grease and flour a loaf tin (about 23cm x 10cm) and line the base and sides with baking paper – have the paper sticking up past the sides a good few cm, as the loaf will rise a bit and might need to be supported so it doesn’t overflow.

Add the dates to a small saucepan with the water, orange zest and juice and simmer for 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. (Don’t forget it and let it burn, like I did once!) Stir in the milk, set aside and leave to cool to room temperature (put it in a bowl in the fridge or freezer if you need to speed things up).

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and the egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides once or twice. Beat in the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, mixed spice and ginger into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the flour mixture and cooled date mixture to the creamed mixture and fold gently to combine evenly, until lump-free. Scrape the mixture into the tin and smooth out the top.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean (it may take a little longer, depending on your oven). Remove from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes in the tin – then finish cooling on a wire rack.

This loaf is lovely served sliced with some butter. It keeps well in an airtight container for about 5 days, or freeze individual slices in ziplock bags.

 

50 Comments
  1. Grant October 28, 2015 at 8:19 am Reply
    Hi, Not sure if I just cannot spot it, but would be great if the recipes linked back to which book they are from (when they are). While online is great, in the kitchen who wants ingredients all over their tablet :) Thanks for a great site.
    • Chelsea Winter November 24, 2015 at 4:18 am Reply
      Great idea, thanks Grant.
  2. Bev October 31, 2015 at 8:44 pm Reply
    Made this the other day, it surely is delicious! Soft and beautiful texture, little bit like gingerbread too. Divine with butter and a hot coffee. Definitely a keeper.
  3. kamla masalawalla November 14, 2015 at 1:23 am Reply
    will definitely make this loaf ,sounds so yummy,will comment when i have done so.
  4. Marrianne November 14, 2015 at 8:46 am Reply
    Looks like a lovely recipe, but I'm not a natural in the kitchen, so could you please tell me what a 'cup' is equal to in grams? (even pounds and ounces would do)
    • Chelsea Winter November 24, 2015 at 4:12 am Reply
      128g :)
  5. Kay lovett November 15, 2015 at 2:55 am Reply
    Have made this and is wonderful. Also have used this in Muffin tins. And frosted icing
  6. Nicky November 17, 2015 at 1:20 am Reply
    Hi Chelsea why would my date loaf sink in the middle? I did open the oven door twice to check if done. Was devine eating. Thanx
    • Chelsea Winter November 24, 2015 at 4:08 am Reply
      I think it may have been undercooked, and yes, opening the oven can cause this too.
  7. anna November 19, 2015 at 1:05 am Reply
    Wow - this is lovely - light and tasty and just delicious with butter of course. Can tell that you really worked on this one to make it the absolute best it could be - love it. I am new fan and have only recently bought all your cookbooks. Not really be into cooking until I started using your recipes. Thanks you so much for inspiring me to enjoy the joy of cooking
  8. Lesley November 20, 2015 at 6:49 am Reply
    This date loaf is AMAZING!! So easy to make and so delicious. Thanks so much Chelsea
  9. Tiesha Manunui November 20, 2015 at 7:25 am Reply
    This recipe is amazing. Has lovely flavour with adding the orange. I actually make 2 loaves out of the one recipe. Stays amazing fresh for a long time. Yum yum.
  10. Gail Gould December 3, 2015 at 3:34 am Reply
    I have made this....Its delicious!!.....Definitely a keeper
  11. Shiree December 4, 2015 at 6:24 pm Reply
    Hi have followed the recipe, but when I added the milk to dates it had curdled. Should this happen?
    • Chelsea Winter December 5, 2015 at 11:04 pm Reply
      That's fine.
  12. Sandra December 13, 2015 at 11:00 am Reply
    Hi Chelsea do you have to use Orange?
    • Chelsea Winter December 16, 2015 at 9:19 pm Reply
      No you don't have to.
  13. Janet March 6, 2016 at 11:57 pm Reply
    This is the best recipe I have ever baked. Really delicious. Thank you.
  14. Lesley Bogacki March 20, 2016 at 9:17 pm Reply
    Hi Chelsea, Looks like a lovely recipe, Would this loaf freeze ok?
    • Chelsea Winter March 22, 2016 at 8:46 am Reply
      Yes it would.
  15. Jessica Haar May 12, 2016 at 12:38 am Reply
    Hi Chelsea I brought this book a week ago and this is the first thing i have made it is so Delicious i cant wait to try all the other recipies.
  16. Hilda June 2, 2016 at 1:52 am Reply
    I take that back... it looked great and tasted absolutely delicious from the very first bite. Mmmm very moist, very moreish!
  17. Kirsty Andrews June 28, 2016 at 10:15 am Reply
    Just made this recipe and tried it warm from the oven with a little butter...heaven! Lovely and soft, delicately spiced and delicious. Made two loaves as my loaf tins were quite small. They rose nicely to make two good-sized loaves. Cooked them for 55 minutes. Will take one to work for morning tea and freeze the other one. Really easy and yum! :D
  18. Kara August 5, 2016 at 12:53 am Reply
    Can you please help me sub the butter for a dairy free alternative? Preferably olive or coconut oil?
    • Chelsea Winter August 9, 2016 at 12:47 am Reply
      Try a dairy-free spread like Olivani?
  19. chris August 5, 2016 at 1:17 am Reply
    awesome recipe however i swap the orange zest & juice for lemonzest & juice
  20. Katherine August 10, 2016 at 6:53 pm Reply
    Hi, do you need the extra egg yolk or call I just use 1egg?
    • Chelsea Winter August 14, 2016 at 9:34 pm Reply
      The extra egg yolk makes it richer and improves the texture but you can leave it out if you want to.
  21. Ange August 14, 2016 at 12:16 am Reply
    Hi. I made this recipe and it crumbles everytime I try to cut a slice. What would I have done wrong?
    • Chelsea Winter August 19, 2016 at 11:39 pm Reply
      Hi Ange, often if you leave it for a day and try and cut it, it's much easier.
  22. Sharon October 2, 2016 at 2:17 pm Reply
    Just made this as thanksgiving gifts. It's a fabulous recipe
  23. Hilary November 18, 2016 at 10:02 pm Reply
    quick question: you have 'brown sugar' in the recipe. Would raw sugar or soft brown sugar be best for this? Can't wait to try it Thanks
    • Chelsea Winter December 1, 2016 at 1:12 am Reply
      Soft brown :)
    • Jenni February 20, 2022 at 12:38 am Reply
      I used coconut sugar as I didn’t have any brown, and was beautiful😀
  24. Amber January 10, 2017 at 12:59 am Reply
    Hi, This is one of my favourite recipes of yours Cheslea! Ive been asked for the recipe lots and happily passed it on for others to make and enjoy, like i do. Yum. X
  25. Kerry February 3, 2017 at 1:51 am Reply
    Thanks so much for your gorgeous recipes. I've lost count with how many I've made and now my 11yr old daughter is also using them. This is the most delicious date loaf, even the kids who aren't fans of dates love it. I've just made a batch into muffins for school lunches along with a batch of your wholemeal peanut butter cookies and also your banana and coconut loaf recipe also made into muffins. Your delicious recipes are now my go to as they are all delicious, easy and made with ingredients I usually have on hand. Keep up the great work ?
  26. Sara February 10, 2017 at 10:12 pm Reply
    This is so delicious its a staple in our house now, loved by all ages including my 3 year old, I use GF flour as well and it turns out devine! BEST loaf ive ever tasted and I love loaf! Thank you so much for this amazing loaf...
  27. Kit May 25, 2017 at 10:13 pm Reply
    This date loaf is the best, sorry Chelsea but it is now my 'signature' date loaf haha - i love it and everyone else does too! Ive got a craving to make it again this weekend for the workmates on Monday!! My mouth is watering just at the though!!
  28. Cheri August 28, 2017 at 2:20 am Reply
    This recipe is perfect. I have used it a few times and even those in my family who dont like dates enjoy a piece... Or two. I added walnuts and coconut the last time and lemon juice/rind instead or orange. Thanks chelsea
  29. Debs September 18, 2017 at 1:36 am Reply
    Just made this and I hate dates. Absolutely delicious! I added walnuts to the dates and it came out perfectly. Crumbly the first day and then easy to cut the next day. It is the best consistency and not at all dry like some loaves.
  30. Claire October 9, 2017 at 5:18 am Reply
    Wow, I made this on Saturday as I had dates in the pantry. It is sooo yummy, love the addition of spices and orange, makes it smell like Christmas. I don't want to share with the rest of my house!
  31. Mike April 11, 2018 at 1:53 am Reply
    Chelsea is totally gorgeous, as is her recipe, leave out half the sugar and add much more boiled dates as well as whole dates thanks Chelsea
  32. Mike Morgan April 11, 2018 at 2:20 am Reply
    Chelsea is gorgeous as is her recpie ,this is the best date loaf in the gallexy. Leave half the sugar out and add lots of boiled dates,so amazing, thanks Chels.
  33. Margaret May 27, 2018 at 12:46 am Reply
    Making this for the second time. Officially my favourite date loaf, so easy and DELICIOUS. Thank you for this recipe!
  34. Monika November 7, 2018 at 1:55 am Reply
    So delicious! My whole family loved it. Perfect for fall
  35. Megan March 29, 2020 at 10:10 pm Reply
    Can I sub flour for buckwheat flour? Flour shortage at the moment!!
    • Chelsea Winter March 30, 2020 at 10:37 pm Reply
      You can try, it will taste very strongly of buckwheat though, a blend of GF flour and buckwheat would be better but try it!
  36. Nikki August 27, 2020 at 11:01 pm Reply
    WOW ... absolutely delicious. I went searching for a new date loaf recipe and came across yours Chelsea with really good feedback - so thought I'd give it a crack (and put the dates in the fridge out of their misery). Have to say it was a little more time consuming to prep than I'd hoped (should have read the 30mins prep time) ... but I am not disappointed - and my partner is already wanting to know when the next one is scheduled for some oven time. A great COVID lockdown treat, and will definitely be featuring on our morning tea list when visitors are allowed again. Really moist, great texture, nicely spiced, and I love the hint of orange. Thanks heaps :)
  37. Jenni February 20, 2022 at 12:32 am Reply
    I made this the other day and it is yummo., lovely and moist. I didn’t have a fresh orange at hand for zest and juice, so I used a whole orange from the freezer, which are prepared for baking. Chopped the orange up in food processor. Definitely a hit. Thanks
  38. Jenni February 23, 2022 at 12:54 am Reply
    Delicious….didn’t have a fresh orange for zest and juice at hand , so I used a whole orange from the freezer. Put orange in food processor to cut up. Worked well. Also used coconut sugar as didn’t have any brown sugar. Will definitely be making this again, yum.

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