Remove seeds from the dates and chop them into small pieces. Heat milk and add it to the chopped dates, cover and let it sit for 20-30 mins.
Whisk all-purpose flour, salt & baking powder & set it aside.
Add room temperature butter, oil & sugar to a bowl and beat with a hand mixer or you can use a stand mixer.
Add eggs, and vanilla extract and beat till the mixture becomes pale & fluffy
Add all the dry ingredients and mix. Lastly, add the milk & date mixture and beat for a few seconds.
Add a handful of chopped walnuts or any nuts you prefer and fold in the batter. Do not overmix.
Pour it into a lined loaf tin, and top it with more walnuts. Bake at 180 degrees, and watch for 40-50 mins or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Halfway through the baking cover it with foil to prevent extra browning. Cool and slice.
A special thanks to the wonderful, creative baker Maleeha(@krustandfrost) for creating this delicious recipe using Nutty Delights Dates and Walnuts, she is super talented!