Date & walnut loaf cake

Ingredients

• 225gr gluten-free plain flour

• 200gr chopped dates

• 200gr chopped walnuts

• 200gr butter (or dairy-free alternative) at room temperature

• 200ml water

• 180gr light muscovado sugar

• 4 large eggs

• 3tbsps honey

• 2tsps baking powder

• 2tsps ground cinnamon

• 1/2tsp baking soda

• 1/4tsp fine salt

Method

Before I tell you how to make this cake, it’s important to note that there are two main steps to it, the first of which I tend to start from the night before I make the cake.

For the first step, I pour the water, baking soda, and dates into a small pot. I place it on medium heat (on the smallest burner/element) and leave it to come to a gentle boil and froth. I then lower the heat to a minimum and mix every few minutes for about 20 minutes, until a thick paste forms. I set it aside it to fully cool and then place it into an airtight container in the fridge until I need to use it. I tend to take it out of the fridge at the same time as the butter, to allow both to come to room temperature.

When it’s time to make a cake, I start by lining a loaf tin (24x14cm/2LB) with baking paper and turning the oven on to 180ºC.

In a bowl, I start by beating the butter and the sugar together, using an electric hand mixer until they’re light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, I sieve through the dry ingredients and fold in the chopped walnuts until they’re fully coated in the dry flour mixture. I set this aside and turn my attention back to the wet ingredients. Into the butter and sugar, I add one egg, one tablespoon of honey (with the first three eggs), and two tablespoons of the dry mixture at a time. Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, I spoon all of the flour and walnut mixture in and beat it until thick and smooth.

Finally, it’s time to add the date paste that I prepared in advance. I use the electric hand mixture to make sure it’s distributed evenly and that there are no clumps of dates left. I, then, transfer the cake batter into the loaf tin, decorate it with some walnut halves, and bake at 180ºC for about 30 minutes. After that, I lower the temperature to 160ºC and bake it for another 45 minutes. I check the cake with a skewer and if it doesn’t come out clean, I give it an extra 5-10 minutes.

Once the skewer comes out clean, I take the cake out of the oven and leave it to cool inside the tin for about 30 minutes. After that, I transfer it to a cooling rack to allow it to cool completely. My preference is to sprinkle some icing sugar on top, just before serving, however, a light cream cheese and cinnamon frosting would work really well with it too. This cake has been a firm family favourite for as long as I remember and I hope it becomes one of yours too. Enjoy!