I discovered this amazing date cake recipe on Anna Olson's channel and adapted it to my liking, resulting in a perfectly balanced and spicy dessert that satisfies my love for chocolate. Here are the ingredients and directions:
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups (220 g) pitted Natural Delights Medjool dates
- 60 g dark baking chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/3 cups (330 mL) boiling water
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (150 g) cake flour
- ½ cup (60 g) cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
Frosting:
- 6 Tbsp (90 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (130 g) icing sugar
- 1 package (250 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Fresh Strawberries for decoration
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two small round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a heatproof bowl, combine the dates, chocolate, and baking soda. Pour boiling water over the mixture and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Blend the mixture, including the liquid, in a food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together by hand until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Switch to a whisk and add the date mixture, whisking until combined.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and cayenne into the bowl and whisk until well combined. Divide the batter between the two pans and tap the pans. Bake for about 35 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then tip the cakes out of the pan to cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat the butter and icing sugar together using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and beat on medium speed for another 3 minutes until fluffy and the frosting holds its shape well.
- To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a plate or platter and spread or pipe half of the frosting on top of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat with the remaining frosting. Chill the cake uncovered until ready to serve.
