Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf

Moist and delicious, this Orange, Date, and Spice Loaf is made with Medjool dates, candied orange or mixed peel, orange zest, and warm spices. An old-fashioned flavorful tea loaf, it is delicious served perfectly plain or with a slather of butter.

Course Quick Bread

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword Date and Orange Loaf, Date and Orange Quick Bread, Date Loaf, Date, Orange, and Spice Loaf, quick bread

Servings 12

My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara - My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

8 oz coarsely chopped Medjool dates (weighed after dates have been pitted and chopped)
1 1/8 cups hot black tea
½ tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
1/3 cup butter, softened at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
½ cup orange peel or mixed peel
½ cup chopped nuts (e.g., walnuts, pecans) (optional)

Instructions

Brew 1 1/8 cups black tea. Pour hot tea (reheating it, if necessary) over dates. Stir and let dates sit until cooled to room temperature, approximately 35-40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9”x5”x3” loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving enough paper overhang with which to grasp and lift the loaf to remove it from the pan. Spritz parchment-lined pan very lightly with cooking oil.
In a bowl, sieve or sift the flours, baking powder, salt, and spices together. Set the dry ingredients aside.
In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed then add the brown sugar and blend well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl with spatula if and as necessary. Beat in the sour cream followed by the vanilla and grated orange zest. Beat just until ingredients are combined.
With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the cooled date mixture beginning and ending with dry ingredients (i.e., 3 additions of dry ingredients and two of the date mixture). Mix only until dry ingredients are just barely incorporated with wet ingredients. Do not overmix.
Remove bowl from mixer stand and fold in the orange or mixed peel and nuts (if including).
Spoon batter into prepared pan and, using a knife, smooth the top of the loaf. Place loaf in center of oven rack and bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Let loaf rest in pan for 10 minutes after removing from oven then remove loaf and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe Notes

Yield: One loaf, apx. 12-14 slices (sliced approximately ½” thick)

Note: This quick bread is best made the day before it is needed. Let cool completely on wire rack then place in airtight plastic bag and slice the following day. Loaf freezes well either wholly or in slices.