ALMOND, DATE & ORANGE LOAF

Readers of this blog will know I love the date 'n' orange combination. This is a sweet, orangey loaf that is very simple to make. I used an electric hand mixer but if you have strong mixing arms, it's not essential to use a mixer.

Ingredients

200g wholegrain spelt flour

75g plain flour
1 level tsp bread soda (sieved)
100g brown sugar
100g marg
125g carton yogurt

rind of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange

2 eggs
50g dates (stoned & chopped)
50g flaked almonds

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

Lightly grease and base line a 900g/2lb loaf tin.

Beat the sugar and marg until smooth and creamy.

Add the yogurt, orange rind, juice and eggs. Mix well.

Add the flour and sieved bread soda and beat on low speed.

Add the dates and nuts and gently stir until well mixed.

Transfer to the prepared tin.

Bake for about 55 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Allow to stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire tray to cool.

VEGAN FRUIT & WALNUT LOAF

Here's my December cake. Well, one of them. There may be one more before the month is out. I'm gone cake mad!


VEGAN FRUIT AND WALNUT LOAF

225gr of self raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1tsp NoEgg mixed with 2tblsps water (or 1 beaten egg for non vegans)
1½ tablespoons of treacle
200mls of soya milk
100gr of light brown sugar
225gr of raisins
100gr walnuts
30gr flaked almonds


o Preheat the oven to 160˚C
o Grease a 2lb loaf tin
o Sieve the flour and spice, mix in sugar, dried fruits and walnuts
o Heat the soya milk and the treacle gently until they are thoroughly combined, but be careful not to over heat.
o Mix the NoEgg mix into the treacle and milk. Then mix this mixture into the dry ingredients
o Put the mixture into the loaf tin. Gently shake to flatten the top
o Sprinkle with the flaked almonds
o Bake for an hour and ten minutes in the top of the oven.
o Test with a skewer to see if it is baked through