This date cake recipe is moist, simple to make, and delicious. Topped with abutter glaze, it’s spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and clove, and packed full of dates. Date cakes are popular in Iraq (where I’m from), so I’ve had my fair! This cake uses mashed Medjool dates and chopped walnuts.
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT45M
Total time: PT55M
Rating
4.77 stars (17 reviews)
Keywords
Date and walnut cake, Date cake
Ingredients
3 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup softened butter (unsalted)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour (all-purpose)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cardamom (green)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Pinch of salt
2 cups chopped walnuts
350 grams pitted and chopped dates ((25-50 dates depending on size))
1 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 cups hot milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup date molasses
1/4 cup butter (unsalted)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons thick cream (solid form, typically from Carnation or Puck in a small can)
Categories
Desserts
Cuisine
middle eastern
Steps
Pre-heat your oven to 350F
Start by pitting the dates and roughly chopping them. You should use approximately 350g of dates in order to ensure a good ratio in the cake.
Meanwhile, place the milk in a small saucepan and heat it until just before boiling.
Add the dates to a bowl along with the baking soda, and cover them with the hot milk. Leave to soak for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the batter
In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar using a stand mixer or hand mixer, until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, and continue to beat until incorporated
Mix your dry ingredients, except for the walnuts, together in a bowl using a whisk
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 portions, and continue to mix well until well combined. The batter will look quite thick at this point
Mash the dates with a potato masher or using a fork until the dates start to soften and form a paste. Its okay if some date chunks remain
Add the dates and milk mixture into the batter and mix until just combined. Add the walnuts and incorporate into the batter
Grease a standard 10" round Bundt pan with butter, then dust it with flour all around, ensuring you get the edges. It helps to tap it against the counter
Add the batter to the pan and smooth it out evenly
Bake the cake for approximately 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. You should start checking your cake at the 35 minute mark. Check the cake by inserting a knife or toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, you can remove the cake from the oven. Otherwise, continue to bake
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then flip it onto a cake stand
If using the date molasses glaze, mix together the condensed milk with the molasses until well combined. Drizzle it over the cake before serving
If using the butter glaze, prepare the glaze just before serving by melting the butter in a saucepan, then whisking it with the sugar and cream until combined. Bring to a boil then simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes (it will thicken as it cools)
Add the glaze to the cake and sprinkle it with chopped walnuts. Enjoy!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 g
Calories: 437 kcal
Carbohydrates: 58 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 21 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Trans Fat: 0.3 g
Cholesterol: 62 mg
Sodium: 237 mg
Sugar: 40 g
Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
Reviews
Majida on 2025-04-24 (5 stars): Hi, thank you for nice recipe I want to ask you if the 2 tsp baking powder much for this recipe since they if too much leavening it will be go down after cooking, thank you so much ❤️
Shanleigh on 2024-08-08 (5 stars): VERY nice cake. I had dates and walnuts that I’ve had forever and wanted to use them up in some way. This was perfect! It turned out amazing, thanks so much!
Abs Alnouri on 2024-07-06 (4 stars): Hi there ,
Thank you for the recipe as I never got it from my mum .My mum used to make this all the time and I remember helping her as a kid.
She used to use water rather than milk I think and more sugar and less dates 🙈 and it always turns out brown the colour of brown sugar so I replaced the granulated sugar with brown sugar and wasn’t bad but I wanted it sweeter so I will try extra 1/4 cup next time ( I know unhealthy ) lol
Seerat on 2023-02-25 (5 stars): Hello Amina , thank you for sharing this recipe. I made this beautiful cake last night,and glazed it today. And wow! It tastes amazing. The spices all come together for the most flavourful cake. The lavender on the glaze takes it to a whole new level. This recipe is a keeper.😊👍 ( wish I could post a pic of the lovely cake.)
Wendy on 2022-12-06 (5 stars): Hi I made the cake and I can tell it’s going to be delicious. The batter was yummy and not too sweet. I’ve never made a glaze before. You say to glaze before serving but if I glaze ahead of time will it be ok and stay the same? Most of the glaze recipes seem to call for confectioners sugar. Will this make a difference in appearance or taste? Thanks.
Shaon on 2022-04-15 (3 stars): Hello, I plan to make it for my mom for iftar. She is a diabetic. If I use 1/4 cup of sugar, would it make too much of a difference in taste due to the sweetness from dates?
Also, will sweetened condensed whitener work for the glaze?
Thanks