Khajoor cake (Sticky date pudding)

After posting a few dessert recipes yesterday I’d like to go a bit further and add some personal touch to this subject. As it’s our second wedding anniversary today and I decided to treat my Husband with a cake, I think I may as well share with you the recipe that has been my family's favourite for many years.

It’s actually a dates and chocolate rich version of sticky toffee pudding. Personally I find it a perfect fusion between very sweet and rich South Asian mithai and popular western chocolate cake.

Unlike the other sticky toffee pudding recipes, I’d like to stress the importance of the dates, which are enormously liked and appreciated in Muslim cuisine. According to Islam beliefs, Prophet Muhammad loved eating dates and they were supposed to be the fruit of Heaven. This full off nutrition and sweetness fruit is eaten in many different ways. It accompanies every Muslim from birth (as it’s the first relish introduced to newborn babies) through all important moments in his life.  Dates are divided among the guests during the marriage ceremony; they are also the first thing to consume while breaking the fast in Ramadan. To some extent they can also be used in the cure of some particular diseases. But most of all they add naturally sweet taste in dishes and make them delicious. Therefore it’s no surprise that South Asian cuisine cannot do without dates…

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup dates- pitted and finely chopped

1 cup water

1 tsp decaf coffee

110g unsalted butter

½ cup sugar

¼ cup honey

2 eggs

¾ cup melted chocolate

2 cups flour (plain or self-raising)

2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin and line the base.Mix the dates, coffee and the water together in a small pan and simmer for a few minutes until the dates are soft and absorbed the water. Stir from time to time and gently break the dates with a fork. Take off the heat and put aside to cool down.

1. Mix sugar and honey in a bowl, add butter and blend with a hand blender till pale and fluffy.
2.  Break eggs into the bowl (one at a time) and continue to blend.
3. Add melted chocolate and mix.
4. Add refined flour with baking powder and blend some more.
5. Pour pureed dates and stir well.
6. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. (Test for doneness with a toothpick)

Cut into slices when cooled. The cake can be served warm or cold. It stays moist up to 3 days.

The cake is ready at this stage, but to make it more appearing I decided to glaze it a little bit. I found a good recipe for the glazing, so I’ll quote it for you.

Glaze ingredients:

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp golden syrup

2 Tbsp double cream

Pinch of salt

½ cup chocolate- chopped

Preparation method:

Mix butter, sugar, golden syrup and salt in the small pot. Simmer on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Lower the heat and using a whisk stir in the cream and chopped chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt to a lovely consistency. Remove from heat and let it cool down for a while until the glaze thickens a little bit. Spread it on top of the cake with silicone spatula.

Enjoy!