Author Adapted by YummyEats.com from the "Joy of Cooking" Cookbook by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker
Ingredients
1 3/4cupsAll-Purpose Flour, sifted
1/4teaspoonBaking Powder
1teaspoonBaking Soda
1teaspoonKosher Salt
1/2teaspoonCinnamon
1/4teaspoonGround Cloves
1 1/3cupsSugar
1/3cupShortening, softened
2Eggs
1cupCanned Pumpkin
1/3cupHeavy Whipping Cream
1/2teaspoonVanilla
1/2cupPecans, coarsely chopped
1/3cupDates, chopped(smallish chop)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan.
Mix (or sift) together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, shortening, and eggs until light and fluffy.
Beat in the canned pumpkin.
Whisk the vanilla into your measured heavy cream.
Hand stir the dry ingredients (flour blend) into the sugar/shortening/egg mixture, alternating with the cream. (Three times for the flour, two times for the cream.) Careful - mix each addition just until blended.
Fold in the pecans and the dates.
Pour the batter into your loaf pan and smooth out the top.
Bake for one hour (or until bread tests as done).
Notes
To test your bread for doneness: the bread should be pulling away a bit from the sides of the pan. If you lightly touch the top of the loaf it should bounce back. You can also insert a toothpick into the center and it should come out clean.