Medjool date, honey and macadamia breakfast loaf

Name: Medjool date, honey and macadamia breakfast loaf
Yield: Makes 1 large 2-kg/4lb 8-oz loaf or 2 smaller ones
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: For the cake; 150ml/51⁄4fl oz/scant 2⁄3 cup full-fat milk; 110g/4oz/1⁄3 cup honey – use a high-quality, raw honey for best results; 50g/13⁄4oz salted butter; 280g/10oz/2 heaped cups self-raising flour; 200g/7oz/1 cup sugar; Zest of 1 orange; Skin of 1 clementine, finely chopped; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground nutmeg; 200g/7oz/scant 11⁄4 cups medjool dates, pitted and roughly cut; 130g/41⁄2oz/1 cup macadamia nuts; 2 eggs; For the topping; 50g/13⁄4oz/1⁄3 cup macadamia nuts; 2 tbsp demerara sugar

Published: 26 Jun 18
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

This honey cake by Honey & Co. co-owners, Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich, is filled with toffee-sweet medjool dates and buttery macadamia nuts for extra richness.

Makes 1 large 2-kg/4lb 8-oz loaf or 2 smaller ones
Hands-on time 15 minutes, oven time 55 mins

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Ingredients

For the cake

150ml/51⁄4fl oz/scant 2⁄3 cup full-fat milk
110g/4oz/1⁄3 cup honey – use a high-quality, raw honey for best results
50g/13⁄4oz salted butter
280g/10oz/2 heaped cups self-raising flour
200g/7oz/1 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Skin of 1 clementine, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
200g/7oz/scant 11⁄4 cups medjool dates, pitted and roughly cut
130g/41⁄2oz/1 cup macadamia nuts
2 eggs

For the topping

50g/13⁄4oz/1⁄3 cup macadamia nuts
2 tbsp demerara sugar

Method

Heat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line your loaf tin(s) with a sheet of baking paper.
Place the milk, honey and butter in a small pan and heat gently until the butter has melted. In the meantime, mix the rest of the ingredients apart from the eggs in a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter mixture and use a large spoon to stir until just combined. Add the eggs and stir again until fully combined.
Transfer to the baking tin, top with the macadamia nuts and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes.
Open the oven and rotate the cake for an even bake, then leave for a further 20–25 minutes. It should feel lovely and bouncy when you press it. If you are using two smaller tins, they will bake in a shorter time – I would rotate them after 20 minutes and then leave for another 20 minutes to bake fully.

Recipe from Honey & Co. At Home: Middle Eastern recipes from our kitchen by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich (Pavilion Books). Photography by Patricia Niven.

Recipe from July 2018 Issue

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Medjool date, honey and macadamia breakfast loaf

Ingredients

Method

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