Once in a while it is nice to have cake for a special occasion. This particular recipe is very low in refined fat as it uses blended dates to replace part of the fat and part of the sugar. For the picture below I made a double recipe and cooked the batter in 8-inch pans for 20 minutes. You have to be careful not to overcook it when you do that because the cake is not as thick as the regular one-pan 9-inch version. Carob powder which is sweeter than cocoa, is also a nice alternative. This weekend as we celebrate three birthdays, I’ll be serving the single layer version along with a little coconut ice cream.
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour -stir flour before measuring
- 1 cup white flour or use half white whole wheat -stir before measuring
- 1 teas baking soda
- 1/4 cup cocoa OR carob powder
- 2 teas finely ground flax meal
- 1/2 teas salt
- 2 tbsp mild olive oil --or oil of choice
- 1 cup nondairy milk
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup soft dates, cut up & pressed down to measure *
- 1 teas vanilla
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 teas almond flavoring
- . *If dates are too dry, soften in very hot water for a few minutes, then drain.
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 teas salt
- 1/2 teas vanilla
- Before making the cake, toast coconut and nuts separately at 325°. Watch closely as it only takes 3-5 minutes to toast the coconut, and it can burn really fast! Once you hit three minutes, check every 30 seconds. The nuts will take a little longer. I like parchment for this so I can just slide it off the hot cookie sheet and set aside to cool.
- PREHEAT oven to 350°, and prepare cake pan(s).
- Sift together dry ingredients to eliminate any lumps.
- Blend the wet ingredients until the dates are completely smooth.
- Add to dry ingredients, mixing well, but not over-mixing as it will reduce raising potential.
- Pour into 9-inch cake pan that has been prepared with non-stick spray.
- Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick in center of cake comes out clean.
- In a small saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in water. Add syrup and salt. Bring to a boil and stir until bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Cool from hot to warm, add nuts and coconut. Spread evenly over cooled cake.
For a double layer cake:
Split the cake batter between two 8-inch round cake pans prepared with parchment paper and non-stick spray. Bake for only 20 minutes or until it feels firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks and remove parchment paper. If you want deeper layers, double the batter recipe and cook in 9-inch pans for 35-40 minutes at 350°. Double the topping recipe. Makes 12 slices.
The picture above is a double recipe of cake split between four 8-inch pans and three recipes of topping.