I made a date and walnut cake – and all who got to taste it, were raving about it 🙂 It turned out very moist and extremely delicious.
For batter:
- Pitted dates (chopped) – 200 g
- Boiling water – 280 g
- Baking soda – 1 tsp
- Sugar – 120 to 150 g (depending on how sweet you want your cake; you can use more)
- Butter (softened) – 85 g
- Egg – 1
- Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
- Flour – 180 g
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Walnuts (chopped) – 80 to 100 g (I just like my cake very nutty, so I used all 100 g)
For icing:
- Brown sugar – 3 tbsp
- Cream – 5 tbsp
- Butter – 2 tbsp
- Almond flakes – for sprinkling
Method is explained and illustrated below. Enjoy! 🙂
Chop the dates…
… add baking soda…
… and pour boiling water over them, creating a chemical reaction. Put aside while you’ll be making the batter.
Place softened butter into a whisking bowl…
… and sugar…
… and whisk until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla extract…
… add an egg…
… and whisk until smooth and creamy.
Sift the flour into a separate bowl. (You can also start pre-heating the oven to 170 C at this stage).
Add baking powder…
… and salt…
… and mix well together. Then, add the egg and butter mix into the flour…
… and mix together.
Chop the walnuts (you can do it in advance)…
… and add them to the batter.
Mix very well together.
Prepare a baking tray (I cover the bottom with parchment paper; no need to grease the sides…)
… and pour the batter into it, smoothing the surface. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top. Use a wooden stick to check whether it’s well baked. The stick should come out clean and dry.
Now, make the icing. Place softened butter into a saucepan…
… and cream…
… and heat it up over a small heat, stirring constantly.
When you cake is ready, take it out of the baking tray (be very careful – it’s soft), and place it on a rack to cool down.
Once the cake cooled down, pour the icing over it. (If it’s also cool and turned very thick – heat it up just a little). Spread the icing evenly over the surface of the cake.
Sprinkle the cake with almond flakes.
It turned out very moist and delicious 🙂 And that icing was absolutely essential. The cake wouldn’t be complete without it. Enjoy! 🙂
