Chocca Mocha Date and Walnut Loaf

I had the urge to bake yesterday, I'd been clearing out and tidying up all my cake supplies and saw that there was half a bag of dates that could do to be used up.  As always my thoughts drifted towards the various blog challenges that I like to join.  I flipped through an old Bero cookbook and saw a Date and Walnut Cake.  But that wouldn't do for any challenge but if I added cocoa powder and some coffee...it would fit with this month's We Should Cocoa!

And so the Chocca-Mocha Date and Walnut Loaf was born.  'We should Cocoa' is a challenge created by Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog and Chele at Chocolate Teapot, but this month is being guest hosted by Lucy at The Kitchenmaid.

Chocca- Mocca Date and Walnut Loaf

200g dates

Pinch bicarbonate of soda

2 heaped tsp Nuvia Cafe or other instant coffee

150ml boiling water

75g butter, softened

75g golden caster sugar

1 egg, beaten

200g self-raising flour

25 g cocoa powder

30g dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

75g walnuts

1.       Heat the oven to 180C.  Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin

2.       Chop the dates ( I cut them with scissors as it’s easier)

3.       Put the dates in a bowl, add the pinch of bicarbonate of soda.

4.       Measure the boiling water into a jug to 150ml and add the instant coffee

5.       Pour the coffee over the dates and bicarb.

6.       Cream the butter and sugar, then gradually beat in the egg.

7.       Stir in the flour, nuts, chocolate and lastly the dates

8.       Place the mixture into the lined tin  and spread evenly.

9.       Bake for about 1 ¼ hours until firm.

10.   Cool on a wire rack, serve sliced with or without butter.

 I used Nuvia Cafe as I had been asked to review it.  I must say I was a little sceptical, Nuvia is promoted as Healthy Coffee. It is Sumtran Arabica coffee infused with the extracts of 100% Certified Organic Ganoderma Extract (an immune enhancer), African Mango (a healthy, natural appretite suppressant) and Pomegranate (a super anti-oxidant) I did wonder what on earth it would taste like with all those fruity flavours. 

 

The coffee comes in nifty little sachets which are handy to keep in your bag or in a drawer at work.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it, it looks like the old-fashioned powdered coffee or instant esspresso powder.  It tastes more like filter coffee than it does like instant coffee, I like my coffee fairly strong, so it suited me.  I expect if you used less than one sachet you could get a weaker cup.  Whether it has health-giving properties, I would not like to say, but it is does make a decent cup of coffee and I had no qualms about using it in my baking.

 This recipe makes a really rich dark chocolately loaf,  the dates provide a sweet moistness and the walnuts a nice crunch.  I think it would go very well with a slice of crumbly wensleydale!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was not required to write a positive review and any opinion expressed is my own.