This is a cake that my mother made quite often when I was growing up. I remember the smell of the dates and chocolate chips when it came out of the oven. I also remember this being a very moist cake. It was truly one of my favorites. Before posting this recipe, we did some research on the origin of this cake. And, although, we don't know for sure how or where it originated, we found this recipe to be quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s. This cake is also desirable for people who do not like frosting.
Ingredients:
8oz. package whole dates
1c. boiling water
1t. baking soda
1c. + 1t. unsalted butter
1c. + 2T. granulated sugar*
¼t. salt
2 eggs
1t. vanilla
1 3/4c. flour
1t. cocoa powder
½c. chopped walnuts
½c. chocolate chips
Bring one cup of hot water to a boil. With a pair of kitchen shears coated with non-stick spray, cut the dates in half and place in a bowl. Once the water is boiling, pour one cup of water over the dates. Add the baking soda and a teaspoon of butter. Allow to cool. (I used a hand chopper to break up the dates into smaller pieces).
In a large mixing bowl, cream one cup of butter with a cup of sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
Add the cooled dates to the butter/sugar mixture and blend. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt, eggs, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Mix to blend thoroughly.
Sift together flour and cocoa. Slowly add flour to mixing bowl and blend until the flour is just moistened.
Grease a 9x13 cake pan with butter, and dust with flour so that the cake can be removed easily.
Pour batter into the cake pan. Level out with a spatula, then sprinkle the top with the walnuts and chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 350º and bake for 40 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. *This is how my mother did it. However, some recipes call for confectioners sugar to top the cake instead.
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