Browned butter date loaf

Sometimes plans are well considered and made, executed to a tee and expectations are met. Other times spontaneity rules. Then there are the situations where everything happens by coincidence, this date loaf could be used as a case study for the outcomes of coincidence. No, the browned butter and sugar didn’t have an accidental collision in a mixing bowl, but I do wish that would happen more often.

Firstly I read Julia @ Melanger‘s post which transported me back to my childhood eating slices of slightly stale date loaf spread thickly with soft salty butter. Then my friend Julia told me about her Grandma’s date loaf and we shared a bit of a nostalgic moment for this very Grandmotherly cake. Then, in quick succession she also told me about some very reasonably priced dates available here. Maybe this post should be called “How the Julia’s inspired an experimental date loaf”.

I made this tarted-up old-fashioned treat on a coincidence inspired whim, before summer in Hanoi hit, during my browned butter love affair phase. It is amazing how simply adding heat can add such a nuttiness and astounding complexity to butter and changes the entire feeling of the finished cake. This isn’t Grandma’s recipe, no. It is more complex, tender and just a little bit fancy.

This loaf is quite fragile but loaded with flavour and texture. The browned butter makes the whole thing more decadent and removes the requirement for buttering when fresh. After a few days I would recommend toasting the loaf, I like to do it in a pan over a medium flame to develop optimum crispiness with a minimum of char.

A happy coincidence.

Browned butter date loaf
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, from Baking: From my Home to Yours via Julia @ Melanger

2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
250g unsalted butter, browned
90g cream cheese, room temperature (I used ricotta, because cream cheese here is expensive)
¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup soft pitted dried dates, each cut into 8 pieces
4 Tablespoons very strong black tea

Brown the butter:
Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. When melted keep cooking until the little milk solids floating around in there turn brown and the whole thing smells nutty and so delicious you just want to whack a hunk of bread in there and eat it. Keep an eye on it, it might take a while. As soon as you think it is ready pour the brown butter into a bowl to cool. Don’t strain it because you will remove all the good tasting bits. Put butter in the fridge to re-solidify.

Make the Cake:
Preheat oven to 160C. Butter a 9 x 5 inch (22 x 12 cm) loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.
In a small bowl stir dates and tea together. Set aside.
Stir the flour, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl beat the browned butter (should be cooled and set again but still soft) and cream cheese (or whatever) together until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cream together until sugar has dissolved and mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Fold dry ingredients into wet lightly, being careful not to overbeat. Fold date and tea mixture through the batter lightly.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let cake sit for about 10 minutes in pan before turning out onto a rack. Cool. Keeps well for a few days, toast cake in a pan on top of the stove or in the oven if it starts to go stale.