Adapted from:
Umm Noora, CAL
Ingredients:
Cream Together:
Butter - 100 gm (at room temperature)
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Dry Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour - 1-1/2 cups
Milk Powder - 3/4 cup
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 pinch
Wet Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Thick Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
Dates - 10 (finely chopped)
Dates - 10 (soaked in just enough milk for 10 minutes and ground to paste)
Almonds (chopped) - A handful (approx 20 gm)
Yield:
Approx 900 gm cake
Method:
1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.
2. Grease baking pan with butter liberally and line the base with a butter/parchment paper cut to size.
3. In a medium bowl, add all the wet ingredients and whisk them well. Make sure they all are at room temperature.
4. Sift together all the dry ingredients for at least 3 times to incorporate air and make the cake soft and fluffy.
5. Deseed dates. Chop finely the 10 dates (to be chopped, approx 100 gm) and mix to 2 tbsp of sifted flour to avoid sticking to each other. Soak the rest of the 10 dates in milk for 10 minutes and grind together to a smooth paste.
6. In the mixing bowl, add butter and beat until fluffy and creamy. Add brown sugar and whisk at high speed until the sugar dissolves. Add the honey and vanilla extract and beat well until combined.
7. Once creamy, add half of the wet ingredients and 1/3rd of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and the next 1/3rd of the dry ingredients and beat only until incorporated. Now, add the balance 1/3rd dry ingredients and the pureed dates and fold gently with a spatula. Make sure there are no lumps.
8. Now, add the chopped dates and mix again with spatula only until mixed together. The final batter will be a thick, sticky batter, not to panic.
9. Pour the batter into the greased pan and top with the chopped almonds
and press slightly to the batter.
10. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a grill after 5 minutes.
12. Allow to cool completely and slice and store. The cake tastes better after 24 hours.
Notes:
To attain, a moister cake and a sweeter version of the cake, mix 2 tbsp honey, 1/4 lukewarm water, and 1 tbsp sugar and generously sprinkle all over the cake. Use the syrup completely. The cake will absorb this syrup. I did this step and it surely enhanced the taste of the cake.
Do not over beat the batter after adding the flour.
I measured the ingredients just until the mark line of the cup (viz., 200 mL/100 mL etc.) and not to the brim.
Umm Noora, CAL
Ingredients:
Cream Together:
Butter - 100 gm (at room temperature)
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Dry Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour - 1-1/2 cups
Milk Powder - 3/4 cup
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 pinch
Wet Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Thick Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
Dates - 10 (finely chopped)
Dates - 10 (soaked in just enough milk for 10 minutes and ground to paste)
Almonds (chopped) - A handful (approx 20 gm)
Yield:
Approx 900 gm cake
Method:
1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.
2. Grease baking pan with butter liberally and line the base with a butter/parchment paper cut to size.
3. In a medium bowl, add all the wet ingredients and whisk them well. Make sure they all are at room temperature.
4. Sift together all the dry ingredients for at least 3 times to incorporate air and make the cake soft and fluffy.
5. Deseed dates. Chop finely the 10 dates (to be chopped, approx 100 gm) and mix to 2 tbsp of sifted flour to avoid sticking to each other. Soak the rest of the 10 dates in milk for 10 minutes and grind together to a smooth paste.
6. In the mixing bowl, add butter and beat until fluffy and creamy. Add brown sugar and whisk at high speed until the sugar dissolves. Add the honey and vanilla extract and beat well until combined.
7. Once creamy, add half of the wet ingredients and 1/3rd of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and the next 1/3rd of the dry ingredients and beat only until incorporated. Now, add the balance 1/3rd dry ingredients and the pureed dates and fold gently with a spatula. Make sure there are no lumps.
8. Now, add the chopped dates and mix again with spatula only until mixed together. The final batter will be a thick, sticky batter, not to panic.
9. Pour the batter into the greased pan and top with the chopped almonds
and press slightly to the batter.
10. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a grill after 5 minutes.
12. Allow to cool completely and slice and store. The cake tastes better after 24 hours.
Notes:
To attain, a moister cake and a sweeter version of the cake, mix 2 tbsp honey, 1/4 lukewarm water, and 1 tbsp sugar and generously sprinkle all over the cake. Use the syrup completely. The cake will absorb this syrup. I did this step and it surely enhanced the taste of the cake.
Do not over beat the batter after adding the flour.
I measured the ingredients just until the mark line of the cup (viz., 200 mL/100 mL etc.) and not to the brim.
