Raisin Date Loaf

During the process of making this cockroach cake that my kids discovered they really liked dates.  I wanted to make them something different for lunch so I tried the following Anna Olsen recipe found here.  The loaf was very moist and flavourful.  My kids even asked for thirds!  Success!

Raisin Date Loaf

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup golden raisins


Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Bring dates and orange juice up to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. In a bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cloves. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and oil. Add egg mixture and dates to flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in raisins. Scrape into prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.