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A hand holding a slice of date cake showing the smooth texture and chunky walnuts in the cake with bits of dates showing

Date Cake

This date cake is soft, moist, and full of natural sweetness from plump, juicy dates. With warm notes of cinnamon, ginger and Chai spice laced in caramel like flavor from the dates, it’s the perfect cake recipe. Great for cozy gatherings, afternoon tea, or even a breakfast treat. Whether you serve it plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with cream cheese frosting, this easy date cake will become your go-to bake for every season.
Course baking, cake, Fall Baking, holiday
Cuisine Asian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Keyword cake, date, date cake, date cake recipe, dates, moist cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 slices
Calories 260 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

Dates

  • 2 cups dates pitted and chopped
  • 1 cup boiling water

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoon Orange zest
  • 1/2 cup oil

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon chai spice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • pinch salt

Add ons

  • 1/2 cup Walnuts hazelnuts or pistachios
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Chop dates and place them in a bowl with boiling water.
    Date cake step by step beginning with dates in a bowl soaked in hot boiling water
  3. Let the dates soften for 10 minutes, then optionally you can mash lightly. Or, leave them chunky as we did here, or even more you can puree them with the water using an immersion blender.
  4. Add the eggs, brown sugar and orange zest in a bowl. This is the main bowl to make the cake so choose a large mixing bowl.
    date cake wet ingredients in the bowl starting with eggs and sugar
  5. Beat the mixture using an electric mixer or machine with a paddle attachment. You can also do so using a hand held whisk.
    A hand pouring the oil into the bowl of eggs and sugar
  6. The mixture should be light and foamy.
  7. At that point add in the oil and continue mixing for one minute.
  8. Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl separately. This includes flour, salt, baking power and baking soda along with the spices.
  9. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl and switch to a spatula to avoid over mixing the batter.
    dry ingredients are added to the bowl
  10. Once you have the dry ingredients blended into the wet ingredients, you're ready to add the date mixture aall at once.
  11. Fold that in really well. As we mentioned above, you can keep the dates chunky as we did, mash or puree them. Whatever you prefer, it all works.
    The dates soaking in hot water are added to the batter
  12. Now it's time for add-ons such as raisins, nuts, and coconut shreds if using.
    Add ons are added to the batter such as nuts and folded in
  13. Fold everything into the batter using a spatula and the batter is ready.
  14. Prepare a bundt pan or 10 inch cake pan. Depending on your pan you can spray it with oil or use parchment paper to line the pan.
    The batter poured into the greased cake pan and ready to bake
  15. Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    perfectly bakes date cake
  16. Let the cake cool slightly in the pan before attempting to remove it.
  17. Serve
  18. Serve the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar.
    date cake with powdered sugar on a board sliced and perfect texture showing
  19. You can also glaze it with a Cream Cheese Icing or an orange glaze similar to the one used in Orange Carrot Cake.

Recipe Notes

Tips for the Best Date Cake

  1. Use quality dates and make sure they are pitted.
  2. Soften dates fully so that they blend into the entire batter for moistness and flavor.
  3. Use fresh spices always!  Old spices lose aroma and impact flavor.
  4. You can swap the oil for butter for utmost richness and flavor, we felt oil was enough here.
  5. Don’t over mix the batter to keep the crumb light and tender.
  6. Orange zest and vanilla compliment the flavors so beautifully here, don't skimp.
  7. For extra richness, fold in chocolate chips along with the nuts and raisins.
  8. Use a bundt pan for an old fashioned cake style. You can choose square or round cake pans too.
  9. Don't forget to make them into Date Muffins for a quicker bake time and perfect portion sizes.
  10. Glaze glaze glaze! Try our Cream Cheese Icing and Homemade Caramel Sauce. Also try the same glaze used in this Orange Carrot Cake. SO GOOD!

How do I store Date Cake?

Once the cake has cooled, it's best to keep the cake in an airtight container. You can leave it at room temperature for up to 5 days. If glazed however it's best to store it in the fridge.

What does date cake taste like?

It’s rich and moist, with caramel-like sweetness from dates and warm spice notes. It has a perfect texture from the dates that melt in your mouth. That with the light crunch from the nuts and a tender crumb. While most popularly it's known to have chopped walnuts, we love hazelnuts most.

Can I make date cake without sugar?

Not entirely. While dates provide natural sweetness, so you can reduce the added sugar especially if glazing.

Is date cake healthy?

It's hard to call desserts healthy, but you can for sure say it's healthier than others. Dates are a great sweetener compared to sugar, and you can use whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour adds extra fiber, check our  Whole Wheat Banana Bread.

Can I freeze date cake?

Yes, wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

What’s the best date variety for baking?

Medjool dates are preferred for their soft texture and intense sweetness.

Serving Ideas

  • Perfect with a cup of tea, coffee or milk.
  • With vanilla ice cream for a great and luscious dessert  drizzled with Homemade Caramel Sauce.
  • For breakfast, serve with yogurt and honey drizzle.
Nutrition Facts
Date Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 260 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 28mg9%
Sodium 114mg5%
Potassium 315mg9%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 32g36%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 65IU1%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 69mg7%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.