Date and Walnut Cake ~ (Don't ask! Ed)

Ingredients:

8oz self raising flour
4oz margarine
4oz sugar
8oz chopped dates
2oz walnut pieces (chopped)
¼ pint of milk

Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4, 350°F or 180°C

Cream margarine and sugar together. Add chopped dates and walnuts. Gradually add flour. Finally add milk and mix well before transferring to a greased and lined tin.

Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I used to buy packs of chopped dates but recently have used packets of stoned-out dates and chopped them myself. It's a bit more effort but I think it's made the cake much more moist. I use skimmed milk and normal granulated sugar. The cake's best left for a few days to 'mature'. So for example I baked this one on Tuesday morning (in lieu of doing a run!) for the cross country on Saturday. Keep in an airtight tin, or wrap in tinfoil until required.

The above amounts will make two skimpy 1lb loafs, or one good sized one with a bit left over for taste-testing. On Tues I used 12oz flour, 6oz marg & sugar, 12oz dates, 3oz walnuts and ¼ pint and a bit of milk. This made a decent sized 2lb loaf.

TF

Look guys, we can't have this thing taken over by this girlie stuff; half a gallon of ale on offer for the most macho (printable) input. Must compare with the apocryphal story about the fell runner who caught his finger on an awkward stile and it was ripped off as he jumped down. He threw it to a bystander asking for it to be put on ice at the local hospital, where he duly reported, after completing the race, to have it re-attached.

Ed