Ingredients:

  • 200g pitted dates, roughly chopped
  • 250g carrots, finely grated
  • 240ml boiling water
  • 250g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 120ml neutral oil
  • 100g brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 75g walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

  1. Prep the dates. Chop 200g of pitted dates into small pieces. Place them in a bowl and pour over 240ml of boiling water. Let them sit for 10 minutes. Note: This softens the fibers so they blend into the batter.
  2. Heat things up. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on the sides. This sling makes it easy to lift the loaf out later.
  3. Mix the base. In a large bowl, whisk 120ml neutral oil, 100g packed brown sugar, and 2 large eggs. Whisk until the mixture looks pale and smooth.
  4. Add the produce. Stir in 250g of finely grated carrots and the soaked dates along with all their soaking liquid. Note: The liquid is full of dissolved date sugar.
  5. Sift dry ingredients. Sieve 250g all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 0.5 tsp salt, and the spices (2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 0.5 tsp nutmeg) directly over the wet mix.
  6. The gentle fold. Using a spatula, fold everything together. Add 75g of chopped walnuts. Stop as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing leads to a tough loaf.
  7. Transfer. Pour the batter into the pan. It will be quite thick and heavy. Smooth the top with your spatula.
  8. The long bake. Bake for 55 minutes. Check it when the top is dark mahogany and a skewer comes out clean.
  9. Cooling. Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes before using the parchment sling to move it to a wire rack. > Chef's Tip: If you find the top is browning too fast at the 40 minute mark, loosely tent a piece of foil over the pan. This allows the center to keep cooking without burning the surface.