I promised the ‘IT Crowd’ a cake for a recently completed project.  They wanted ‘Dates’ – this is what I came up with. It tastes like toffee cake and no lumps for the date phobic!

 

Ingredients

2x250g blocks of dried stoned dates

2tsp bicarbonate of soda

750mls boiling water 

250g vitalite or butter or your favourite spread 

200g (1cup) castor sugar

2tsp vanilla essence

4 eggs

4 cups flour

Method

Soak the dates with the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water.  Ensure the dates are covered entirely by the water and leave for 30 mins until softened.

Date Blocks with Bicarbonate of Soda

Date Blocks Submerged

 Purée the date and water mixture with a hand blender.  Add the Vitalite or butter together with the sugar and vanilla essence and stir, this will melt the fat and help to cool the mixture.

When the mixture is cool whisk in the eggs preferably with an electric mixer. Whisk well for 5 minutes and then add the pre-sieved flour. Mix gently until mixture is smooth.

Put into 2 greased 23cm cake pans and bake at 150 C (fan) for approx 40 mins.

Allow to cool and then turn out.  Top with Maple Buttercream – recipe to follow – watch this space!