May 8-9, 2011: Engagement & Pecan Slice

It's been a piece since a seminar was held inward my workplace, together with fifty-fifty longer since I baked a process to part around, together with thence I made sure to stride upwards alongside the latter when the sometime occurred end week.  For ideas I pulled out The Complete Book of Home Baking, a gift from ane of my generous colleagues.  I assemble that it's a second-hand copy, every bit the mass was printed inward 1993 together with has really trivial presence online (although I constitute a distich of other books alongside the same name). The most fascinating characteristic of this mass is that ane of the people credited for recipe evolution is Donna Hay!  She's non listed every bit contributing to the styling, together with sure as shooting the expect of this cookbook is low-cal years from the run she's famous for.

The seminar was held on Mon morn together with thence I held off on the dedicated chocolate chapter together with browsed through the 'cakes together with biscuits for every day'. I didn't convey heaps of fourth dimension to laid upwards afterward our pub dinner, together with thankfully the recipe for engagement bars didn't expect every bit good fiddly.  It's a pretty basic cake set-up - although it's eggless - alongside pecans together with softened dates studded throughout. Expecting something a chip to a greater extent than dense together with slice-like, I was surprised at how much it rose inward the oven. It browned a lot every bit it baked and, un-iced, didn't expect all that impressive.

Nevertheless this piece received many compliments when I shared it around.  The dates nigh melted into the buttery batter; the piece was moist together with alongside a deep caramel flavour.  I'll definitely proceed this recipe on mitt for occasions that deserve a sweetness process but don't require anything fancy-lookin'.

Date & pecan slice
(based on a recipe for engagement bars inward The Complete Book of Home Baking)

300mL evaporated milk
200g pitted dried dates, chopped
1 1/2 cups manifestly flour
three teaspoons baking powder
200g butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence
3/4 loving cup castor sugar
100g pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Paper-line or grease a 22cm x 30cm baking tray.

In a small-scale saucepan, oestrus the evaporated milk until it is only nigh to boil.  Pour it over the dates together with allow them to soak together with soften every bit the milk cools.

Sift together the flour together with baking pulverisation inward a small-scale bowl.  In a large bowl, rhythm out the butter until fluffy; rhythm out inward the carbohydrate together with vanilla.  Gradually rhythm out the milk mixture together with the flour mixture into the butter inward turns, until all ingredients are good incorporated.  Fold through the pecans.

Pour the batter into the baking tray, gently shine over the top together with bake the piece for 20-25 minutes, until it's browned on top together with it passes the skewer test.