This is a wonderful old-fashioned loaf cake, fragrant and sweet. It is one of my oldest family recipes. Chopped dates and walnuts combine with brown butter and brown sugar to fill your kitchen with the most wonderful aroma!
An old-fashioned family recipe
You say quick bread, I say loaf. Both can work. But what works for sure is the combination of flavors.
I know this recipe as an English loaf (though it's also referred to as Scottish, and my family is Irish, so let's wing it), and it was a staple for the holidays at my house many times with the addition of candied fruit in the batter.
On regular days, it was served plain for afternoon tea. This is the kind of cake you bake if your mother-in-law is coming over for tea. Or to take on a road trip.
I tweaked it a little, as some ingredients were a bit too old, like double butter (whatever that is) and cane molasses, which is not so readily available.
My contribution is using my precious dates instead of raisins. I use walnuts like my great-grandmother used to do, but pecans, hazelnuts and cashews work well too.
And brown butter. It deserves its own sentence. Who can argue with the nutty flavor of butter that is left to sizzle and toast?
The sweetness of dates is one of my favorite things in the world. In this bread they're paired with toasted nuts, brown sugar and spices, so the flavors intensify exponentially.
And one last thing: leftover slices are fantastic lightly toasted!
Ingredient list
- Medjool dates: the only ones I recommend. You can use other types, I never found them to be soft or moist enough.
- Walnuts: they will be chopped, so there's no need to buy the more expensive walnut halves unless you want to. Chopped or walnut pieces are fine.
- Brown sugar: light or dark. It will affect the color and molasses flavor of the loaf.
- Unsalted butter.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Honey.
- Milk: whole, full fat or reduced fat.
- All-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: make sure it's not expired.
- Salt.
- Ground cinnamon.
- Ground ginger.
- Ground nutmeg.
- Vanilla extract.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Variations & substitutions
- Spices: use the mix in the recipe, change the amounts to your preference, or use another Fall spice mix you like.
- Nuts: pecans, hazelnuts and cashews work very well.
- Extra flavor: add a tablespoon of cognac, brandy, sherry or dark rum for a deep, unique flavor.
- Use raisins instead of dates, like my original family recipe. And change the name.
Medjool dates
These are the only ones I use and recommend for this loaf, for the chocolate chip date cake and any other recipe that calls for them.
Though they can look unappealing, they have fantastic plump, soft flesh with a unique sweet, almost smoky flavor that might make you a fan—if you're not one already.
Steps to make date bread
Sifting
It's important to sift the flour mixture and spices to discard impurities and dissolve clumps that might've formed during storage.
Add-ins
I like them coarsely chopped, you can chop them smaller or larger.
Dates are notoriously sticky, so have patience and use a well-sharpened kitchen knife.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
After incorporating flour in a cake batter, we don't want to develop gluten, as it will toughen the baked cake. So mix *just* until it's all well incorporated but don't overbeat. I like to end mixing with a silicon spatula to ensure the ingredients are fully integrated.
Prepare the loaf pan: line the greased pan with strips of parchment paper. When ready to cut and serve, they will help you remove the whole loaf.
The strip (or strips) must be as wide as the pan.
1 strip: cover the bottom and two short sides. The two long sides will be greased but not lined.
2 strips: make a criss-cross pattern and cover the bottom (twice) and all sides.
Bread batter
The pan should be filled ⅔ to ¾ of its capacity, no more than that. This way, the batter has space to grow and bake well.
Baking
Test for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle, it should come out clean. Don't overbake it.
If the top is browning too quickly, tent with foil while it continues to bake.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use an oven thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Use the right-size pan: it's important for the loaf to bake well.
- Prepare the pan: line the greased loaf pan with strips of parchment paper. When ready to cut and serve, they will help you remove the whole loaf. The strip (or strips) must be as wide as the sides.
1 strip: cover the bottom and two short sides. The two long sides will be greased but not lined.
2 strips: make a criss-cross pattern and cover the bottom (twice) and all sides. One strip will be wider than the other.
Related recipes you might like:
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Date and Walnut Bread (old-fashioned recipe)
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Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned (if using it without browning, use 5 tablespoons unsalted butter)
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed, light or dark
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, or cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch fresh nutmeg
- ¾ cup walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
- 5 ounces Medjool dates, pitted and cut into chunks, (don't use another type of date as they're not soft or plump enough)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the loaf cake:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Grease a non-stick 8×4-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom and two short sides with a strip of parchment paper.
- To brown the butter, melt 7 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. It will foam, bubble (sometimes furiously), then foam again. It will start to brown underneath the foam at that point, so check constantly until it's an amber color. Don't let it burn. Let it cool completely until it's room temperature, or chill for faster cooling.
- Measure 5 tablespoons browned butter, softened. Beat while adding ¾ cup brown sugar gradually until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 tablespoon honey.
- Sift together 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and pinch fresh nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with ¾ cup whole milk in two additions. Add the vanilla.
- Finally, add 5 ounces Medjool dates, chopped, and ¾ cup walnuts with a spatula and mix well. It may look somewhat curdled, but it’s fine.
- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth top.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
- Unmold and keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for a few days, or freeze for a few months.
Notes
1 strip: cover the bottom and two short sides. The two long sides will be greased but not lined. 2 strips: make a criss-cross pattern and cover the bottom (twice) and all sides. One strip will be wider than the other. Brown butter: for more info, we have a post for making brown butter. Nuts: use pecans or almonds instead of walnuts. Freezing: it keeps for a month, well wrapped.
Helen says
Where is the brown butter in the recipe? In the comments at the top of the recipe you mention brown butter.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Helen, I am updating the post as we speak! Check the recipe card again please. Happy baking.