Vegan Date and Walnut Loaf

This sticky vegan date and walnut loaf is sweetened with maple syrup, a drop of barley malt extract and, of course, dates.

The result is a cake that’s light, moist and slightly chewy. Malt extract, in modest amounts, can enhance the texture and flavour of a cake like this without turning it into a full-on malt loaf.

There is another special ingredient in this loaf, which is an underripe banana. If you use one that’s still greenish – not so green that you can’t peel it, but not yet fully yellow – the banana flavour won’t really come through in the finished cake. What it will do is add moisture and reduce the amount of oil you need to add. (Another cake using an unripe banana is this Jasmine Tea Loaf, which contains no oil or fat at all.)

The dates, walnut and flaxseed make this a wholesome, high-fibre cake, which is still as sweet as you’d expect a date and walnut loaf to be.

There’s no denying that barley malt extract contains a lot of sugar (in the form of maltose) but, unlike most sweeteners, it also possesses a range of health and well-being benefits. These include a compound called hordenine which is supposed to be responsible for the mood-lifting effects of beer!

Malt extract was used as a dietary supplement for children after the war, and there has been renewed interest in its properties in recent years, so it might be making more of a comeback in recipes, besides the marvellous malt loaf.

vegan date and walnut loaf…

ingredients

• 120 g dried dates, very roughly chopped
• 80 g walnuts, very roughly chopped
• 140 g maple syrup
• 40 g barley malt extract (syrup)
• 200 g plain white/unbleached flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• scant 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 90 g unripe banana (one smallish banana)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 30 ml light olive (or other mild-tasting) oil
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract

method

1. Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and line or oil a standard 2 lb loaf tin.
2. Place the chopped dates in a bowl and add the maple syrup and barley malt extract. Warm this mixture just a little in the microwave and stir through. Set aside.
3. Mash the banana and blend (preferably) or whisk together with the ground flaxseed, oil, vanilla extract and 100 ml of water.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and stir through the chopped walnuts.
5. Stir together the two liquid mixtures (using whichever is the larger bowl or jug).
6. Add the combined liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring as you go, to create a fairly thick cake batter. If it feels very thick, add another tablespoon of water, but remember it has to support big chunks of date and walnut.
7. Transfer the mixture to the baking tin and level the top a bit.
8. Bake for around 45 minutes, until it is well risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
9. Allow the loaf to cool before attempting to slice it.

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