Date Loaf (vegan)

Credit for this recipe goes to aunty Gale Hayes from Redhead NSW who made this delicious cake for VNV's David Ogilvie on a recent visit.
You will need:
     1 cup           chopped dates
     1 cup           chopped walnuts
     1/2 cup        brown sugar
     1 tbsp          olive oil
     1 tsp            bicarbonate of soda
     1 cup           boiling water
     1 & 3/4 cup  wholemeal self-raising flour
                        vanilla essence (to taste)
Method:
     Mix together first six ingredients and stand until cool. Add flour and vanilla essence and mix. Place into small loaf tin and bake at 180 degrees Celsius
    (350-375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30-45 minutes. Test with skewer.