Date Walnut Cake

At work this week we farewelled a colleague who found the pasture was greener elsewhere, so it was with a little sadness that I prepared this Date Walnut Cake as a farewell baking gesture to someone I truly enjoyed working with. We will undoubtedly catch up on Instagram and at social events from time to time, so it's not a forever goodbye, and I hope T, that you love your new job!

I've been increasing my run distances of late, work has been a little busy, and a great way for me to empty my head is to run until I can run no more. (Run Natasha, Run!) Earlier this week, upon returning from my farthest distance yet*, all energised and motivated, I thought I'd give this cake a go, two hour cooking time be damned! Damn that two hour cooking time. I really should look at the clock before I put anything into the oven at night. I was really tired once the post-exercise euphoria had faded (post-exercise-high, low?) but the cake was worth it. 

Because of time constraints, I decided it would be better for me to ice the cake at work. The photo below is of a giant walnut encrusted cake sitting on my desk. The icing sugar all over my black skirt, and chocolate icing at the corner of my mouth were a dead giveaway that that particular cake was handcrafted by me. It was a bit ugly (big brown blob of a cake), so I went a bit crazy with the encrusting with walnuts; definitely a case of too much was just enough. I think it was nice. To be honest I'm getting a little fatigued by cakes, as are maybe my colleagues. No more guinea pigs. I will obviously keep going, however I need a new audience. 

*Humble brag. Subtle, no?

Date Walnut Cake

225g butter

2¼ cups plain flour

1 cup sugar

225g dates, roughly chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped

2 eggs

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

¾ cup hot water

Preheat oven to 160°C.

Grease well and line with baking paper a 20cm cake tin.

Into a heat-proof container, place the chopped dates, bicarbonate of soda and hot water, leave for about 15 minutes.

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs, flour and walnuts. Add the dates/soda/hot water mix.

Pour into prepared cake tin. Cook for two hours, checking at the 90 minute mark.

Once cooled, ice with icing of your choice  I made chocolate icing and it worked well with the richness of the dates. 

~

For those of you who are not in Australia, please find here a selection of Measurement & Temperature Conversion Charts which should help with the accuracy of your own cooking.