Date and Walnut Cake

Date & Walnut Cake

Kindly supplied by: Toni Mutton

Ingredients: to fill a 9” x 12” (23cm x 30cm) Swiss roll tin

8oz (225g) dried dates, chopped	½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda	1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8oz (225g) soft brown or demerara sugar	10oz (275g) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder	1 large egg, beaten
2oz (50g) walnuts, chopped	3oz (75g) butter
For the topping:
7.5 tablespoons brown sugar (150g)	3 tablespoons butter (45g)
3 tablespoons single cream	chopped walnuts for topping the cake - optional

Method:

1. Pour 250ml of boiling water over the dates and add the bicarbonate of soda. Let it stand for the time it takes to:
2. Cream the butter with the sugar in a bowl, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the date mixture. Stir in the chopped walnuts
4. Grease and line the bottom of the swiss roll tin and pour in the mixture, making sure to spread it to the edges.
5. Heat oven to 180º/350F/Gas mark 4.  Bake cake for 35 minutes. The cake is done when firm to the touch and still springy. Testing with a skewer can be problematical, due to the gooeyness of the dates.
6. To make the topping:  Put the butter, brown sugar and cream into a small heavy saucepan and put on a low heat until the butter has melted.
7. Bring to the boil, and boil gently for 3 minutes stirring all the time.
8. Spread over warm baked cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts if using
9. When cool cut cake into slices and store in an airtight tin.

As for the topping – use top of the milk if you don’t have cream. (Don’t substitute margarine for the butter – if you can’t do dairy, forget the topping.)  Boil rapidly, don’t be scared of it.

Add the topping to the cake while still a little runny then, if you wish, you can add a sprinkling of chopped nuts to the top.

A little touch of vanilla essence does the topping no harm whatsoever.