Date and orange loaf
If you searched for date and orange loaf and want the useful bits up front, you are in the right place: metric measures, a short intro, then ingredients, method, tip, and notes. Plan on 70 min from starting prep to plating for 10–12 slices. Prep is about 20 min; the active cook or oven time is closer to 50 min. Read the whole method once before you turn on the heat. The character of the dish comes from butter, vanilla essence and caster sugar. Check quantities in grams where listed — volume is fine for many liquids, but baking and batter ratios behave better on scales. Use it for weekend baking sessions and school-lunch tin fillers, then cool on a rack, then slice or pack once firm. One tray or tin as written — freeze extras in airtight bags. Metric spoons here mean a 20 ml tablespoon and a 5 ml teaspoon. Everything on this page is metric-first for Australia. If you are converting from cups on an old card, weigh flour, sugar, and butter whenever the ingredient line shows grams.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 180°C. Grease a deep 20 cm round pan or loaf pan; line base.
- Beat butter, vanilla and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then orange rind. Stir in dates.
- Fold in sifted flour alternately with milk. Spread into pan.
- Bake about 50 minutes (loaf may need ~60 minutes) until cooked. Cool on a rack.
- Beat cream cheese until creamy; beat in rind, icing sugar and enough juice to spread. Frost cold cake.
Tip: Variation of classic AWW butter cake — dates keep the crumb moist.
Notes
- Make-ahead and leftovers: one tray or tin as written — freeze extras in airtight bags. Store Date and orange loaf airtight once fully cool; most batches keep several days, or freeze flat and thaw in the tin. Label freezer bags with the dish name and date. Allergens sit in the ingredient list — always double-check if cooking for guests.
- Before the heat goes on, line up butter, vanilla essence and caster sugar and anything perishable from the list. Soften butter, bring eggs off the fridge if the method needs them room-temp, and preheat so you are not waiting mid-recipe. For a baking cook of this size (10–12 slices), a clear bench saves more time than any gadget.
- Texture check for baking: colour is a better guide than the timer alone. Edges should look set and golden; centres can finish on the residual heat. Cool on the tray briefly if the recipe says so — Date and orange loaf often firms as it cools. Store airtight once fully cold so humidity does not soften the crust.
- Putting it together for Date and orange loaf: work clean, taste as you go, and do not rush browning or reduction steps if they appear in the method. If you are cooking for mixed diets, plate sauces and toppings separately where practical. Keep this page bookmarked if it becomes a household regular — we update wording when cooks report a confusing step. Metric consistency across Scoops & Dishes means once you trust the cups and scales here, breakfast through dessert behaves the same way.