Recipe: Date and Ginger Tea Loaf (using whole wheat pastry flour and maple syrup)

DATE AND GINGER TEA LOAF
By Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research

Translating A British Dessert to American Tastes

To Americans, 'pudding' means a soft and moist dessert eaten with a spoon. But the British meaning of pudding is more general any dessert, whether simmered, baked, steamed, or frozen as in "What's for pudding?" Many classic English desserts are based on some form of flour, often in the form of bread, that might be studded with dried fruit. Those are usually called "bread puddings," even if they are as solid and hefty as a fruitcake.

In the American colonies, British bread puddings were usually adapted to local circumstances and transformed into quite different desserts. In New Orleans, for example, "classic" bread pudding is usually so moist and soft it can be eaten with a spoon rather than a fork. Other forms of bread pudding, especially in the colder climes of New England, became hearty versions of our modern tea bread.

Not too sweet, a tea bread or loaf typically baked in the same pan used for meatloaf makes a lovely dessert to finish a meal, or a mid-afternoon snack. A slice of tea loaf is often served accompanied by chunky applesauce, or spread with cream cheese.

The Date and Ginger Tea Loaf below gives you more than just a sweet finish to a meal or a pleasing pause in a workday. In place of refined flour, a poor health bargain, whole-grain wheat flour is used to offer the nutritious bran. And a slice of this tea loaf gives you as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, while the banana and dates add useful vitamins and minerals.

DATE AND GINGER TEA LOAF

Canola oil spray
1 large banana, well mashed
1/2 cup finely chopped dates
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat an 81/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" loaf pan with canola oil spray. Set aside.

In one bowl, combine the banana, dates, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and maple syrup. In another bowl, combine the two flours, baking powder and salt. Set both bowls aside.

In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the eggs. (The mixture may look curdled.) Stir in the dry ingredients. Blend in the banana mixture, creating a sticky, thick batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it evenly.

Bake 35 minutes, or until the top is well-browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake rest 2 minutes in the pan, then turn out and cool it completely on a rack. If possible, wrap it in foil and set it aside for 24 hours before serving, to allow the flavors to mellow. If desired, slices of cake can be warmed just before serving by wrapping them in wax paper and heating in a microwave at low power for a few seconds.

Makes 10 one-inch slices
Per serving: 241 calories, 7 g. total fat (4 g. saturated fat), 41 g. carbohydrate, 4 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 138 mg. sodium.