I am a huge fan of dates but when I was pregnant with Lil Dude somehow I was not in mood to eat these. The problem was people who came to visit us during that time got fruits, sweets and a box of dates!Everyone knows the importance of taking an Iron rich diet during pregnant and one of the easiest way to incorporate this mineral is to have at least 2 pieces a day.
Our food preferences change during pregnancy and for me it manifested as hating my favorite fruit. I had to eat this as my pantry started over flowing with boxes of dates! I made cakes, ladoos, bars, milkshakes and other dishes so that I will inclined to eat them and Lil Angel will also get in a bit of nutrition as she is dead against eating dates!
My dislike for dates continued even after Dude was born but now I am forcing Lil Angel to eat dates by making some dish out it and literally masking the presence of Dates!This way I am also starting to like my ‘once upon a time’ favorite fruit…
This recipe is one which I saw on Tickling Palates, Radhika’s blog and had bookmarked it to make later. The time has come finally and I baked it a few weeks ago. Lil Angel enjoyed every bite of it and wants me to make them more often even after she knew I had sneaked dates into the cake!
The method of preparing this cake is very different from the usual method, yet the result is totally awesome. Also there is no Butter , Milk, Eggs and yet the cake is very spongy!!
D– Dates Cake – Eggless, Butterless and No milk!!
Category – Baked
I served this with a simple custard sauce. A portion of this cake was shared with my SIL who lives down the street and she and my niece were totally bowled over by the fact that it is eggless and yet very soft and spongy. Take a look and you will surely agree with me….
Now to the recipe…
I used:
Recipe Source : Tickling Palates
Maida / All purpose flour – 2 cups
Dates – 10 large, seeds removed, finely chopped [1/2 cup,packed]
Baking soda- 2 teaspoons
Sugar- 1 cup
Cinnamon powder- 1/2 teaspoon [ See notes below]
Water- 2 cups
Canola oil – 1/2 cup
Salt – 1/4 teaspoon
Broken cashew – a handful
- In a pan , take sugar, salt, water,cinnamon powder, chopped dates, oil.
- Mix well and heat the mixture and bring to boil.
- When you see bubbles around the edges, simmer for 15 minutes and allow to cool completely.
- If using immediately make sure you use the mixture after 2-3 hours or after it is completely cook. I left it over night in the fridge.
- Sieve the maida and baking soda thrice and transfer into a bowl.
- Add the dates mixture, cashews and mix well to combine. I suggest you to use a hand blender if you have one as it make the mixing a lot easier.
- Pre heat the oven 180 C for 10 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a greased tray / tin and bake for 45 minutes @ 180 C or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely before cutting.
- Serve as such or with a simple custard sauce.
For the custard sauce, I prepared the custard the usual way [ as mentioned in the back of the pack]. I made it a little watery by adding extra milk than mentioned so that it can be poured over the cake.
Note :
- The original recipe uses 1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder. We are not a huge fan of this flavor, so I have added 1/2 teaspoon only. Yet I could get a strong aroma of the cinnamon while cooking the dates mixture and the cake had a faint hint of cinnamon. So adjust the quantity to suit your taste.I will be omitting the cinnamon powder the next time I bake it.
- The sugar quantity imparted the right amount of sweetness .Add more if you need the cake to be extra sweet.
- I had the canola oil that was sent for a review and hence used it. You can use any vegetable oil.
- You can add any nuts of your choice or you can omit it.
Take a look at the Blogging Marathon page to check out what my friends are cooking in this A- Z series…
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Looks awesome, amazing & mouthwatering !
Date cake look so moist and tasty
I love dates and love this particular cake. Konjam inga anupungo
very very healthy and delicious cake dear 🙂 looks super yummm
Such a super moist cake, extremely irresistible.
Looks super moist. The date cake recipe is one that is very forgiving yet yields delicious result.
I make s very similar cake which was my first option for posting today. ..the cake looks absolutely gorgeous and one of my fav cakes..
It's my favorite fruit till anything like you happens to me! Yours cake looks super moist and delicious with that custard frosting..
I'm drooling over those clicks PJ.. Cake looks so moist and delicious. Will definitely make this cake soon.
a heavenly treats for Vegans for sure. cake does look super moist
Bookmarked PJ!! Cant believe its so soft without eggs!
Looks awesome
That's a wonderful bake, esp with so many nos, it surely is so healthy..:)
Different from what I make but this is awesome. I love it. Unfortunately I cannot hoodwink my girls into eating the cake. Maybe this way they..:)
wow is the word!!! no eggs, no butter and the cake looks soooo good!!! love it!!!
Sowmya
Looks super moist and soft. What a treat for Eggless cake lovers.
absolutely beautiful and tempting cake
Ah so cute healthy date cakes love the shape of ur cake so nice pan lovely. I like the look of it so soft and texture has come out excellent.
that is one super moist cake that too without eggs they look super soft
I love dates cakes. In fact it was one of my earliest successful bakes. But I've not prepared it in the traditional boiling method. Wil try this sometime. Btw that is a cute flower cake pan and the individual slice gets the perfect curve. Lovely custard topping too
Looks soft & moist.. Yum.
The texture of the cake has come out perfect PJ. Looks very soft and fluffy…
Lovely cake. This cake was in my initial list but had be changed to accommodate some of my favorite recipes :). But I am definitely making this sometime very soon.
This cake is so super moist! I absolutely need to try this. And I love the custard sauce that you have made. I have everything we need for the cake handy, so might make it soon…Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Thanks for sharing.
I will try to do it.
What a coincidence ! I was just wanting to bake some this afternoon…
I was searching for this recipe after I tasted this in my friend's place..Bookmarking this delicious fluffy cake..