chocolate date cake

Sweet, moist, and full of chocolate flavor, this date cake is a dream come true for chocoholics with its rich cocoa flavor and soft texture. The crunchy surprise from the walnuts and chocolate chips on top makes it irresistible.

Chocolate Chip Date Cake

water

Medjool dates (about 16 ounces, pitted and chopped)

baking soda

unsalted butter (at room temperature)

all-purpose flour

cocoa powder

salt

sugar

eggs (at room temperature)

vanilla extract

chocolate chips

walnuts (very coarsely chopped)

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (170ºC).

Butter and flour a 9- by 13-inch (22x33 cm) and set aside.

Bring 1 ½ cups water to a boil. Put 2 cups Medjool dates and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the boiling water and set aside until needed.

Sift 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, remaining ¾ teaspoons baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt over a bowl and set aside.

Beat ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Beat on high for 1 minute, add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat an additional 2 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix well.

Add the sifted dry mixture and beat on low until well combined.

Add the cooled date mixture and continue to beat for 30 seconds. Remove mixer and thoroughly combine with a spatula.

Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly, including corners.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the cake starts to dry and rise.

Take out of the oven, quickly sprinkle 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips on top, then 1 cup walnuts and return to the oven to bake for another 20 to 25 more minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remember you have the chocolate chips on top, not to confuse with uncooked batter.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

I like eating it the next day because it tastes much better. I like to refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes before serving to firm it up, but the chips and walnuts harden, as a reader commented, so she prefers not to. Your choice. 

Perfection.  My mother made a version of this when I was a kid, and it was always a favorite.  We served it to guests last night and they begged for the recipe.

It turned out great and was a hit with everyone. I added some ground cardamom as we’re big fans of it with chocolate.

Just an FYI, the proper name of these is Polka Daters (like polka dots). It originated in the early 60’s. My Mom made them and I’ve followed in her footsteps, it’s the fan favorite here in Dubai where we have dates at all times.

This Date Chocolate Cake is a healthy dessert recipe made with no eggs, no refined sugar, and no dairy, but with a rich chocolate flavor and a moist and fluffy crumb.

Date Chocolate Cake

Water

Almond Milk (lukewarm (note 3))

Mild-Flavor Olive Oil ((note 4))

Vanilla Extract

All-Purpose Flour ((note 5))

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Sugar

Baking Soda

Baking Powder

Almond Milk

Medjool Dates (pitted)

Almond Butter ((note 7))

Dark Chocolate Chips ((note 8))

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with lightly oiled parchment paper. Set aside.

Pit the dates if they are not pitted. Measure or weigh them after they have been pitted. Discard the pit. Place the pitted dates in a large glass bowl.

In a saucepan, add water and almond milk, cover with a lid, warm over medium heat, and bring to a low boil.

Remove from the heat, and immediately pour the warm liquid over the pitted dates, and cover the bowl with a large plate. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.

Bring back the bowl with the dates and lukewarm liquid. Pour everything in a high-speed blender and blend on high speed until smooth.

Pour the lukewarm date mixture in the bowl with the dry ingredients, and add oil, and vanilla extract.

Use a rubber spatula to gently stir and combine everything together until smooth and consistent.

Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan.

Bake in the center rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it, meaning the cake is baked, but still moist.

Let the cake cool down for 10 minutes in the pan at room temperature, then on a cooling rack for 3 hours before frosting.

In a saucepan, add chocolate chips, almond butter, almond milk, and pitted dates.

Bring over medium heat, and stir until the chocolate chips are melted. The dates won&#39;t dissolve, but the warm mixture softens the dates, and that&#39;s the goal of adding them to the pan now. It takes a few minutes to melt.

Remove from the heat, pour into a food processor, add the cocoa powder, and process on high speed.

Stop the food processor a few times, scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula, and repeat until most of the dates are blended and turned into a smooth frosting - you will always have tiny bits of dates, and that&#39;s ok.

Spread over the cooled cake.

Frosting

I never review recipes but I love this cake so much. We do it as a toddler-friendly cake with 200 grams of dates, no coconut sugar, and two cups of microwaved milk instead of 1 cup milk and 1 cup water, but it's my favorite baked-good recipe. My go to birthday cake now for everyone.

Made with gluten free flour (same amount as quoted). The batter was runnier than in your video but cooking it at 180 degrees for 40 mins and it was perfectly cooked nonetheless.
It’s delicious but rich and there’s a lot of it so I’m going to freeze half and frost half

super easy to make. thank you! can this also been made without the cocoa?

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Top 2 chocolate date cake recipes from across the web

The most viewed chocolate date cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Chocolate Chip Date Cake

Date Chocolate Cake

The most viewed chocolate date cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine