Date and Walnut Loaf - Traditional Scottish Recipe


This is a popular cake in tea rooms around Scotland which provide "home baking". The ingredients below will make a large loaf - you can divide into two smaller cake tins and bake for a slightly shorter time.

Ingredients:
¾ cup of boiling water
One cup of cooking dates de-stoned and chopped
One teaspoon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
4 ounces/125g/one stick margarine
4 ounces/125g/¾ cup sugar
One egg
½ lb/250g/two cups plain flour
Half a cup broken walnuts
Few drops vanilla essence

Method:
Pour the boiling water over the dates and baking soda and allow to stand. Beat the margarine and sugar together
then add the egg and then the flour and mix well. Stir in the dates and the liquid, add a few drops of vanilla essence and mix well. Bake in a greased and lined loaf tin in a pre-heated oven for an hour at 325F/170C/Gas Mark 3.