Milk Chocolate, Date And Walnut Loaf

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup dates, pitted, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 200 g milk chocolate, chopped
• 125 g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Recipe

• 1 place dates and water in a saucepan over low heat; cook for 5-10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• 2 remove from heat;add the soda, stir and allow to cool.
• 3 preheat oven to 180°c.
• 4 grease and line a loaf pan 10cm x21cm, 7 cm deep.
• 5 melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stir with a metal spoon for 5 minutes, or until chocolate is melted; remove from heat and cool.
• 6 using a mixer, cream butter, sugar and maple syrup until pale and creamy; add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each egg is added.
• 7 stir in melted chocolate.
• 8 sift flour over this chocolate mixture, then using a metal spoon, fold in until combined.
• 9 fold in the dates and walnuts, then spoon into prepared pan.
• 10 bake for 50 minutes or until cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• 11 allow to stand in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out to a wire rack to cool.
• 12 serve sliced (and buttered if you wish).