Two rich, moist little loaf cakes packed with sweet dried fruits and crunchy seeds. The recipe is barely adapted from Diana Henry's brilliant cookbook, A Change of Appetite, via Food52. If you haven't yet discovered Diana's books, they're absolute gems.
Ingredients
180g unsalted butter, melted & cooled
170g dried unsulphered apricots
8 fresh medjool dates, pitted & roughly chopped
100ml cloudy apple juice
3 tbsp water
60g light brown soft sugar
zest of one orange
1 large free range egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g wholemeal spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground allspice
scraping nutmeg
pinch salt
50g walnut halves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, combine the apricots, dates, juice and water. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have a thick, almost pureed consistency. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/160 C fan. Butter two 500g loaf tins and line with baking parchment.
Whisk the butter into the fruit puree, along with the sugar, orange zest, egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Stir the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined.
Scrape into the prepared tins and bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve in thick slices, preferably spread with lots of salty butter. Will keep in an airtight container for several days.
Recipe by thelittleloaf at http://www.thelittleloaf.com/2016/02/29/date-apricot-walnut-loaf-cake/