Spiced Date Cake
Ingredients
2 cups/400g soft dates, chopped
1 cup/150g raisins
1 & 2/3 cups/400 ml boiling water
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbs chia seeds
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup/150 ml mild olive oil
2 & 1/2 cups/300g gluten-free plain flour blend or all purpose/plain flour
3/4 cup/100g buckwheat flour (optional – increased flour if not using)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Method
Watch Tutorial VideoPreheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line your cake tin. Put the chopped dates and raisins into a heatproof bowl, pour over the boiling water and stir in the bicarbonate of soda & chia seeds, then leave for 10 minutes until everything is soft and plump. Tip this mixture into your blender, add the bananas, and pulse briefly so the fruit is broken down but still chunky rather than smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the olive oil.
In another bowl mix together the flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold together until just combined and no dry pockets remain.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is well risen, deeply golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly in the tin before turning out and serving.
To serve, brush over a maple syrup glaze. The cake will store for up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge.
