My mother loved this bread a sliver at a time with tea in the evenings. You could make one big cake in a one-pound coffee can but I like making three because then you have one to serve, one to freeze and one to give as a gift. You could also use your favorite quick bread recipe and bake it this way or even in a Ball jar. I know a woman from Canton, Ohio, Elizabeth Kisch, who won first place in a cake contest I judged, and she made her family’s holiday chocolate toffee cake. One year her husband had to be out of town during the holidays, so she baked the cake in Ball jars, threw the lids on while it was still warm to sterilize them and then tucked them into her husband’s suitcase — a surprise when he got to the other end.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 3 cans (3 servings each) |
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pitted dates, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 orange, zested
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small bowl mix together the dates, pecans, and orange zest; then toss with 2 tablespoons of flour to coat.
- In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to mix; then add the egg and mix until incorporated. Working in 3 batches, alternately add the flour mixture and orange juice, mixing well after each
- addition. Stir in the flour-coated nut mixture.
- Spoon the batter into the cans, filling them 3/4 full. Transfer the cans to a sheet pan and bake until puffed, golden brown, and firm, about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool in the cans for 5 minutes before unmolding, or let them cool completely in the cans and wrap as a gift.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 3 servings |
| Calories | 1158 |
| Total Fat | 31 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 216 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Sugar | 129 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 94 mg |
| Sodium | 977 mg |
Reviews
I’ve been making my grandmother’s date n nut bread for years in cans because thats how she did it. I use cooking spray with flour…pops right out!!!
This was a big hit with the entire family – even those not crazy about citrus ANYTHING.
Here’s a suggestion:
A reason breads might not come out is not being baked quite enough. They should be just starting to pull away from the sides of the “pan”.
A reason breads might not come out is not being baked quite enough. They should be just starting to pull away from the sides of the “pan”.
Another suggestion:
After greasing the cans, lIne them with parchment paper. Cut a circle for the bottom, then a strip for the side. You want the circle a little bit large so it extends up the sides a tiny bit, then roll up the strip and put it in. The paper should overlap a little where the sides meet the bottom.
In the interest of full disclosure: I have not actually made this recipe. But, when I was a child, more years ago than I care to own up to, we used to buy canned date nut and brown bread, and I seem to remember that the can was usually lined with paper.
Also, to keep from messing up the star rating, I gave the same as the average at the time I rated it.
I followed this recipe to the letter, but I had a hard time trying to get them out of the cans. I loosened them with a knife, but they still wouldn’t give. One of the three came out whole, with a lot of coaxing. I also found them to be very sweet, the dates do take over. Perhaps using less sugar might help. The cans I used were not made so they could be opened from either end. If they were, that might have helped.
I made the loaves and wrapped them as gifts. One of my mom’s colleagues and she claimed it was, “The best bread I have ever had!” It’s such a treat. Definitely a good present for someone you really care about.
I found this, very, time-consuming to prepare and, tho’ I used 1 TBsp. zest of a giant orange, found the taste too subtle .. dates took over. The end result, however, was quite good – baked it as a mini-loaf plus 24 mini-mini-muffins & plan to serve to friends at lunch (with curried chicken salad from this website).
This recipe is a keeper! It is sooo easy to make and so good. The only thing I would caution the baker is to NOT OVERFILL the cans!!! 🙂 Gale says to fill them to 3/4 full – if you put any more batter than that in the cans, you will get a mess! Take it from one who knows!!!
I WILL make this again and follow directions!!!!! 🙂