Date cake

Date cake

Ingredients

1/2  cup dates, pitted chopped
1/2  cup walnuts, chopped
2-1/2   cup all purpose flour (maida)
1  cup powdered sugar
3/4  cup brown sugar
1/2  cup butter or butter-flavored Crisco
1-2/3   cup milk
4  eggs
1  tsp baking powder
1  tsp baking soda
1  tsp cinnamon  powder
1/4  tsp  cloves powder
1/2  tsp  nutmeg powder

Method:

• Grease and flour a circular cake tray 30 cm, in diameter approximately. Mix the chopped dates and walnuts with 1/4 cup of the flour.
• Beat the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and butter or Crisco. Add the milk and continue to beat, adding the eggs one at a time.
• Mix the remaining 2-1/4  cups flour with the baking powder and baking soda and add to the batter. Fold in the floured dates and walnuts and mix altogether.
• Transfer into the cake tray and bake in a preheated oven of 350 F (180 C) until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NB.  The 1/4 cup flour is used to coat the dates and walnuts to prevent them sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking.