Date and ginger loaf

The thing I like about loaves is that they're basically cakes, but somehow so much easier.

I made this loaf especially for my dad, who happens to love dates. And I happen to love ginger, so I thought it was a good combination.

This is the kind of damp, cake-like loaf that keeps very well and holds its flavour. It's very good with a cup of tea or coffee. I made this loaf on a very cold, very wet early spring weekend and it was the perfect late afternoon snack, just before a nap.

Start by soaking the dates in hot water and an Earl Grey tea bag. Not the most visually appealling step of the process, I admit!

Then you add the steeped mixture into the other ingredients and stir it all up.

All ready for the oven!

And here's the finished product, complete with drizzled icing and more ginger. Yum! (Someday I'll figure out how to rotate the pictures on here!)

All ready for a tea break! Note the pieces of ginger studded throughout.

Date and ginger loaf (from the LCBO Food and Drink magazine)

1 c. coarsely chopped pitted dates
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Earl Grey tea bag
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
½ c. finely chopped crystallized ginger
½ c. plain yogurt

Glaze
½ c. icing sugar
2 to 3 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger

1. In a medium bowl, combine dates, boiling water, baking soda and tea bag. Let cool to room temperature. Discard tea bag.

2. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

3. Grease and flour a 9x5” loaf pan.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking powder and salt.

5. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg. Stir in date mixture, crystallized ginger and yogurt until well combined. (Batter may look curdled.)

6. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture. Stir just until combined and dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top level. Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove loaf from the pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

7. For glaze, in small bowl, stir together icing sugar and 2 tbsp. water until smooth, adding a little more water if necessary to make the glaze thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over loaf and sprinkle evenly with crystallized ginger. Let glaze set before slicing loaf.