Healthy Date Cake with Chocolate and Pecans
When I first made this cake, I was amazed how fabulously moist and sweet it was and how gloriously soft and tender the crumb was. The dark chocolate and pecans add a wonderful texture contrast and layers of flavour, as well as adding to the nutrient profile of this sugar free and fat free cake. The sweet dates also bring a subtle caramel flavour to the party and you would never know that there wasn’t any butter or oil.
Serve this cake with a cup of tea or pack some up and take to work or on a picnic, and have a nibble when you need a pick me up.
Where is this recipe from?
This is a @doctorbowl recipe. Dr Divya Sharma’s quick, easy, healthy recipes are all vegetarian and/or vegan and gluten free, sugar free, fat free recipes are also highlighted. It is a fabulous insta site and she has a cookery book as well, called Doctor Bowl: Quick + Simple Balanced Vegetarian and Vegan Food. Whatever diet you follow, I really recommend this site.
Hwo to make Healthy Date Cake with Chocolate and Pecans
Collect the ingredients together:
- pitted Medjool dates
- warm milk
- plain/all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- bicarbonate of soda
- fine salt
- eggs
- pecan nuts, chopped
- dark chocolate, chopped (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- balls of stem ginger, finely chopped (optional)
Topping –
- extra chopped pecan nuts
- extra chopped dark chocolate
How to make this wonderful, healthy cake:
- Soak the dates in the milk for 20 minutes, until soft. Blend in a food processor.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (fan 160°C) and grease and line a 900g/2 lb loaf tin.
- Add the remaining ingredients, apart from the nuts and chocolate, and pulse until mixed in.
- Fold in the chopped pecans, chocolate (and ginger, if using) by hand and transfer to the loaf tin. Sprinkle with extra chopped chocolate and pecan nuts.
- Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until cooked. It is cooked when a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
- Leave in the tin for 5 – 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Ingredients 
1 Dates, milk 
Blend 
3 Flour, bp, bs, salt, eggs 
Blend 
4 Chocolate, pecans 
Mix 
Topping 
5 Bake 
6 Serve
Made this recipe?
If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.
Healthy Date Cake with Chocolate and Pecans
When I first made this cake, I was amazed how fabulously moist and sweet it was and how gloriously soft and tender the crumb was. The dark chocolate and pecans add a wonderful texture contrast and layers of flavour, as well as adding to the nutrient profile of this sugar free and fat free cake. The sweet dates also bring a subtle caramel flavour to the party and you would never know that there wasn’t any butter or oil.
Makes 1 x 900g/2lb loaf
Ingredients
- 200g/15 pitted Medjool dates
- 250ml warm milk
- 180g plain/all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 eggs
- 100g pecan nuts, chopped
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- 2 balls of stem ginger, finely chopped (optional)
Topping:
- extra chopped pecan nuts
- extra chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Soak the dates in the milk for 20 minutes, until soft. Blend in a food processor.
-
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (fan 160°C) and grease and line a 900g/2 lb loaf tin.
-
Add the remaining ingredients, apart from the nuts, chocolate, (and ginger) and pulse until mixed in.
-
Fold in the chopped pecans, chocolate (and ginger, if using) by hand and transfer to the loaf tin. Sprinkle with extra chopped chocolate and pecan nuts.
-
Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until cooked. It is cooked when a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
-
Leave in the tin for 5 – 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- mixing bowl
- food processor
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- greased and lined 900g/2 lb loaf tin.
Where is this recipe from?
This is a @doctorbowl recipe. Dr Divya Sharma’s quick, easy, healthy recipes are all vegetarian and/or vegan and gluten free, sugar free, fat free recipes are also highlighted. It is a fabulous insta site and she has a cookery book as well, called Doctor Bowl: Quick + Simple Balanced Vegetarian and Vegan Food. Whatever diet you follow, I really recommend this site.
