Twenty four pounds of oranges are sitting on my kitchen counter! This would be a great time to try out the recipe that I printed from Brown Eyed Baker for Date Nut Spice Bread. She got the recipe from the cookbook Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics by Ina Garten. Not only does this loaf require three oranges, but the dates are soaked in Cointreau, whooo-HOOO!
This bread is excellent, I loved the spiciness of the batter. No need to double any spices with this recipe—I wish my mom were here to enjoy it with me. Maybe I will make another loaf and FedEx it to her 🙂 BTW, I made no changes to this recipe other than omitting the pecans, it’s perfect as is.
Date Nut Spice Bread
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups coarsely chopped dates—10 oz. pitted
- 1/3 cup Cointreau
- 4 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon grated orange zest, from 2 oranges
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 3 oranges
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans, 3 oz.
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Butter the bottom of an 8½x4½x2½” loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan.
- Combine the dates and Cointreau in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment—get a beater blade!—beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- With the mixer still on low, add the one third of the flour mixture then one half of the orange juice, then repeat-one third of the flour and one half of the orange juice, and then the last one third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beating only until combined.
- By hand, stir in the dates with their liquid, along with the pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Thanks for stopping by for a cup of tea and a slice of this delicious tea bread! Do you have a favorite quick bread recipe? I’d love for you to share!
