ARABIAN DATE AND NUT CAKE

Ingredients.......3/4 cup of strong black coffee, 1 cup of pitted and chopped dates, 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, 125gm of butter/ marg, 1 cup of castor sugar, 2 eggs- lightly beaten, 1 and 3/4 cups of plain flour, 1/2 tsp of bi carb of soda, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, pinch of salt, icing sugar for dusting. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease a 25cm x 15cm loaf pan and line the base with baking paper. Pour the hot coffee over the chopped dates and walnuts , set aside to cool. Cream the butter and sugar. Mix the dry ingredients together. Alternatively add the eggs and dry ingredients and beat well. Finally mix in the vanilla, date and nut mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar. If you choose to make this for your Christmas cake dress with decorative holly or Xmas decorations as you like or not. With or without decoration this cake is really delicious anytime of the year.