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
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Soak the dates in the milk for 20 minutes, until soft. Blend in a food processor.
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Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (fan 160°C) and grease and line a 900g/2 lb loaf tin.
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Add the remaining ingredients, apart from the nuts, chocolate, (and ginger) and pulse until mixed in.
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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.
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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.
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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.