Date Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
A low sugar, rich dense date cake topped with a sweet peanut butter frosting! Ideally to be enjoyed with a warm cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients
Date Cake
- 250 g self raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 300 g dates pitted
- Zest and juice of an orange
- 250 ml water
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp aniseed
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 tbsp honey optional
- 60 g walnuts optional
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 250 g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp sugar optional
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C or 320°F. Spray a 20cm cake tin with neutral oil and line with parchment paper.
- Chop the dates into small pieces and place in a bowl of water for about half an hour.
- Remove the dates from the water and place them in a pot on low heat. Reserve the water and set aside.
- Together with the dates add all the spices, orange zest and juice, and cook gently on low heat. While constantly mixing the mixture add the water. Keep cooking until the dates break down and a thick mixture is formed. Set the mixture to the side and let cool.
- In a mixer combine together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Slowly start adding, the eggs and date mixture until everything is incorporated. You can add the honey and nuts here, if you want to include them.
- Fill the cake tin with the cake mixture. Bake the cake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean once inserted in the middle of the cake.
- Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring the cake to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Peanut butter frosting
- In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and peanut butter. Add sugar according to your liking.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled down cake. Sprinkle some chopped nuts on top of the cake.