Chocolate date cake

Name: Chocolate date cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 150 ml Essential Light Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing; 100 g (about 6-7 pitted) Waitrose Medjool Dates, chopped; 3 British Blacktail Free Range Medium Eggs, separated; 3 tbsp caster sugar; 100 g Belgian dark chocolate (54%), melted; 150 g ground almonds; 50 g cocoa powder, plus extra to serve; ½ tsp baking powder

Sorry, flour – we don’t need you for this one! Instead, medjool dates and ground almonds make this cake sticky and moist.

5 out of 5 stars(5) Rate this recipe

Serves8
CourseDessert
Prepare25 mins
Cook30 mins
Total time55 mins
Pluscooling

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Ingredients

150ml Essential Light Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing
100g (about 6-7 pitted) Waitrose Medjool Dates, chopped
3 British Blacktail Free Range Medium Eggs, separated
3 tbsp caster sugar
100g Belgian dark chocolate (54%), melted
150g ground almonds
50g cocoa powder, plus extra to serve
½ tsp baking powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm round, springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. Soak the dates in 150ml just-boiled water for 10 minutes, then whizz in a blender until smooth.
Put the egg whites in one mixing bowl and the yolks in another. Using electric beaters, beat the egg whites to just-stiff peaks, then beat in the sugar until combined; set aside.
Add the oil to the egg yolks and beat for 1 minute until combined (there’s no need to clean the beaters). Next, beat in the puréed dates and the melted chocolate. Fold in the ground almonds, cocoa, baking powder and a pinch of salt, then fold in the egg whites until just combined.
Tip the mixture into the cake tin, gently smooth the top and bake for about 30 minutes or until just set on top with a slight wobble in the middle. Cool completely in the tin, then serve with a dusting of cocoa powder and whipped cream on the side, if liked.

Cook’s tip

LEFTOVERS

Medjool dates

Dubbed ‘nature’s candy’, these can be diced and added to cookies or porridge. Or stuff with peanut butter and dip in melted chocolate for a super-sweet treat.