Chocolate Date Cake

One of the desserts that my mama used to make and everybody (except for me) loved was sticky toffee pudding, which she made with dates. The family sweet tooth skipped a generation when it came to me. Toffee is the ultimate treat for sugar enthusiasts. But one of my fondest memories was watching my mother make her crowd pleasing pud.

I was intrigued by this Waitrose recipe as it uses dates to keep this chocolate cake moist and sticky. I am not a chocolate lover (apart from the occasional single square of bitter dark chocolate) so I always rely on the reaction of family and friends to determine the success of a chocolate cake.

This recipe has a big thumbs up. Robert summed it up as “a rich chocolate pudding – indulgent, comforting, substantial – that leaves you feeling sleepily contented”.

INGREDIENTS

150ml light olive oil, plus extra for greasing
100g (about 6-7 pitted) Medjool dates, chopped
3 medium eggs, separated
3 tbsp caster sugar
100g dark chocolate (54%), melted
150g ground almonds
50g cocoa powder, plus extra to serve
½ tsp baking powder

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm round, springform cake tin and line with baking parchment.

Soak the dates in 150ml just-boiled water for ten minutes. Once soft, add to a blender or food processor and then blitz until smooth.

Put the egg whites in one mixing bowl and the yolks in another. Using electric beaters, beat the egg whites to just-stiff peaks, then beat in the sugar until combined; set aside.

Add the oil to the egg yolks and beat for one minute until combined. Next, beat in the puréed dates and the melted chocolate. Fold in the dry ingredients (ground almonds, cocoa, baking powder and a pinch of salt). Lastly, fold in the egg whites until just combined. Don’t over-mix as you will remove the air from the batter.

Tip the mixture into the cake tin, gently smooth the top and bake for about thirty minutes or until just set on top with a slight wobble in the middle. Cool completely in the tin before serving. Dust each slice with a dusting of cocoa powder and accompany with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.