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Easy Date Cake Recipe (No Sugar, No Mixer)

This easy date cake recipe is naturally sweetened with dates, made with no refined sugar, and requires no mixer. Soft, moist, and perfect for kids. Recipe is adapted from Baby Food Kitchen by Valerie Chan, with minor tweaks to make it more family-friendly by using common pantry items.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 5 inch loaf
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Baking
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Date Mixture
  • 120 ml milk
  • 50 g pitted dates, chopped into small pieces
Dry Ingredients
  • 85 g all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of ground ginger
  • Pinch of nutmeg (opt.)
Wet Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup (opt.)
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 tbsp melted butter (~57g)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 165°C (330°F).
  2. In a small pot, heat the milk and chopped dates over low to medium heat until the mixture thickens and turns lightly brown. Do not boil. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, and maple syrup (if using). Stir this into the cooled date-milk mixture.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
  5. Gently fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients using a spatula. Do not overmix.
  6. Grease a 5-inch loaf pan and pour in the batter.
  7. Bake for 42–45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Notes

• This date cake is naturally sweetened with dates but feel free to add in maple syrup/honey/agave if you wish to.
• A perfect kid-friendly date cake recipe for breakfast, snacks, or lunchboxes.
• This recipe requires no mixer and comes together easily by hand.
• This recipe yields a relatively small serving (good for 2-4 pax); you may double the recipe and bake in two loaf tins.