Date & Walnut Loaf with Honey Cream Cheese

After trial and error, I finally managed to bake a moist and soft Date & Walnut Loaf!  This is a Mary Berry recipe but I have personalised it to suit me.  Everyone who tried it, loved it especially with the honey cream cheese spread!

To make this recipe, you will need:

• 90g butter
• 90g caster sugar
• 90g walnuts, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 175ml boiling water
• 250g dates, stoned and chopped
• 250g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 50ml of clear honey
• 250g of full fat cream cheese
• A handful of crushed walnuts

Method:

1. Put the dates into a bowl, pour the boiling water and leave for about 15 minutes.
2. Whisk the butter and caster sugar mix well.
3. Then add the egg, flour and baking powder and mix well
4. Stir the walnuts and dates with the water into the mixture.
5. Spoon it into the loaf tin and bake for 170°C for 50 minutes.
6. Mix the honey, cream cheese and crushed walnuts and set it aside. When you ready to serve, spread the honey cream cheese on the loaf.

This loaf is perfect to serve during afternoon tea. It tastes simple gorgeous with the added cream cheese. The loaf is soft and moist to eat. I have baked it for my family and friend and they all love it. I find that by adding an extra egg and water to Mary Berry’s recipe, the loaf is more moist.  Also by cutting the baking time from 1 hour 15 minutes to just 50 minutes, it made a big difference.  Do try it out for yourself!