Date and Walnut Cake Recipe

Dates and walnuts seem to naturally go well together. Date and walnut cake has always been a classic in my family especially in winter time or at Christmas, although I like it at any time of the year! This is an adapted recipe since it is dairy free and vegan, but no one can tell the difference when I have made it.

The cake is light and fragrant with the mixed spice, and not overly sweet. The date and walnut flavour combination is one made in heaven, perfect with an afternoon cup of tea of coffee. Eggs are replaced with with ground flax seed for structure, and with aquafaba (chickpea water) for moisture and binding. A lot has been written about aquafaba in the vegan community, and it is a great egg replacer for baking as it provides the same moisture that eggs would. The leavening comes from the reaction between the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda which makes it wonderfully spongy and soft with none of the vinegar taste. Making a cake vegan is actually quite easy with substitutions like the ones in this recipe.

Date and Walnut Cake Recipe
Yield: 16 Servings
Difficulty: Easy
Cooking time:
Metric
US/Cups

Ingredients

  • 75 g dairy free margarine
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 100 g soft brown sugar
  • 340 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tbsp mixed spice
  • pinch of salt
  • 250 ml soya milk
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 2½ tbsp water)
  • 3 tbsp aquafaba (chickpea water)
  • 125 g walnuts
  • 250 g chopped dates
  • 3 oz dairy free margarine
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup soft brown sugar
  • 3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tbsp mixed spice
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup of soya milk
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 2½ tbsp water)
  • 3 tbsp aquafaba (chickpea water)
  • 4½ oz walnuts
  • 9 oz chopped dates

Instructions

  1. Add the dairy free margarine to a bowl and melt in the microwave.
  2. Add the granulated and brown sugar to the melted margarine and mix until the sugar has combined.
  3. Add the milk to a mug, add the vinegar, mix with a spoon and allow to stand for a few minutes. This will immediately curdle but that is how it is supposed to be.
  4. Add the ground flax seeds to a bowl with the water and mix well. Leave to stand for a few minutes and it will thicken substantially.
  5. Sieve the flour, the bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and salt into another bowl. Add the chopped walnuts and chopped dates and mix.
  6. Mix the flax egg, milk, and aquafaba with the margarine and sugar.
  7. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients (I usually add the wet to the dry bit by bit until it is all combined properly).
  8. Grease and line a round 20 cm (8 inch) round spring-form baking tin with grease-proof paper.
  9. Add the mixture to the tin and bake in a preheated oven at 150C (300F) for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Pierce with a skewer right through and if it comes out clean then it is baked.
    Note: I have also made this in a square 22 cm (9 inch) silicone mold and it takes considerably less time, 45 minutes to bake.
  10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

    Date & walnut cake, dairy free and vegan
    Date & walnut cake, dairy free and vegan

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