This Date Cake is a moist, soft, delightful cake featuring sweet dates, crunchy walnuts, fragrant coffee, healthy almond milk and raw sugar. It also has whole wheat flour that makes it wholesome and a bit healthier. Even a beginner in baking can make this eggless, vegan Date and Walnut Cake easily.
Table of Contents
About Date Cake
Date cake is a favorite with us. No wonder, I make this on days when we crave for sweets or desserts that are healthy.
This Date and Walnut Cake recipe is almost a decade old that I had posted many years back. I have been making this Date Cake for many years now.
It simply never fails and you get the perfect date loaf every time. My recipe always impresses my family and friends. When I serve this delish cake to them, they keep on asking for more.
The earlier recipe was made with a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Later I switched to making the cake entirely with whole wheat flour changing some of the other ingredients proportions.
And oh boy! I was so surprised to see the cake having a soft and moist crumb in spite of the whole wheat flour. So I have updated the recipe post to the date cake made entirely with whole wheat flour.
This date and walnut cake is healthy as together with dates and walnuts it is made with whole wheat flour and almond milk.
The cake recipe is apt to make for special days or festivals like Christmas or Easter, especially when you want to enjoy eating desserts that are not heavy on butter or cream frostings, refined flour and too much of fats like butter or oil.
Even a novice in baking can make this cake and get full marks. Try this cake and you will be simply bowled over by its texture, flavor and taste.
Ingredients You Need
- Flour: The entire recipe is made with whole wheat flour and works well with both the Indian wheat flour (atta) used for making roti and the milled whole wheat flour available outside India. You could easily swap the whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour, pastry flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Dates: Well of course since the cake has dates in it, it is loaded with the flavor and aroma of dates. Dates also makes the cake soft.
- Coffee: I also add instant coffee that pairs beautifully with the dates and add its own charm and flavor to the cake. Though you can chose to opt out of coffee.
- Walnuts: I love to add some walnuts in this recipe. But if you are out of walnuts, skip them. But they do add a lovely crunch to the soft cake.
- Chocolate Chips: You could also choose to add some chocolate chips or cacao nibs. Sometimes I do add these and I have mentioned the proportions in the recipe card below.
- Leavening Ingredients: Both baking powder and baking soda are required and cannot be substituted for each other. Since this is an eggless cake, I would suggest that you use both baking powder and baking soda that are fresh and in their shelf-life.
- Liquids: I make this cake with almond milk, but feel free to use your preferred milk to make the recipe. Earlier I have also made this recipe with homemade soy milk.
If you love baking with nuts and dry fruits, do check my Fruit Cake Recipe and Wine Cake.
How to make Date Cake
Prep and Make Date Walnut Mixture
1. Rinse and finely chop 100 grams or about 5 large or 8 to 9 medium-sized or 12 small dates and 4 to 5 walnuts (25 grams).
Measure and you will need ½ cup finely chopped dates (tightly packed) and ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts.
Grease a 7.5 to 8 inches round pan with oil (neutral flavored) or line it with a parchment paper. You can also use a loaf pan to make date loaf.
2. Heat 1 cup almond milk (or choice of milk) in a pan or steel bowl. Do not boil. The milk should only be hot.
3. Switch off heat and place the pan or bowl on the kitchen countertop. Add instant coffee.
4. Add the finely chopped dates and walnuts.
5. Mix very well to make an even mixture.
6. Add ½ cup raw sugar. You can also add ½ cup white sugar or add it according to the sweetness you prefer in the cake.
7. Mix thoroughly until the sugar granules dissolves. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
Make Cake Batter
8. Place a wired mesh sieve over the bowl and ddd the following dry ingredients to it.
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour – 180 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
Sift the dry ingredients directly over the bowl ensuring the sifted ingredients fall into the bowl.
9. Pour all of the the cooled dates and milk mixture to the sifted dry ingredients in the bowl.
10. Add ¼ cup of sunflower oil (or any neutral tasting oil), ¼ cup water and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence.
11. Mix with a wired whisk or you can also choose to fold the batter.
Mix to an even batter but take care not to overdo the mixing or folding. Over-mixing can cause gluten strands to develop in the batter and will result in a doughy dense texture.
12. Pour in the greased or parchment lined pan. Tap the pan with the batter in it on the countertop a few times so that the batter spreads on its own.
Bake Date Cake
13. Bake at 190 degrees C/392 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes. Preheat oven at 190 degrees C/392 degrees F for 15 minutes. It took me 40 minutes to bake in my oven.
Note that temperatures vary from oven to oven. It can take less or more time for the cake to bake in your oven.
14. Check the baked date cake with bamboo skewer. The skewer should come out clean with no sticky batter on it.
15. Cool cake pan on wired rack.
16. Slice and serve when cooled. You can also refrigerate the date cake for about a week. Store the cake in an air-tight container in the fridge.
More Egg-free Cakes To Try!
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Date Cake | Date and Walnut Cake
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup finely chopped dates (tightly-packed) – 100 grams or 5 arwa dates (or 5 large dates) or 12 small or 8 to 9 medium-sized dates.
- ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts – 25 grams
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee
- 1 cup almond milk or choice of milk
- ½ cup raw sugar – 110 grams, can use ½ cup of regular sugar instead
- 1 tablespoon cacao nibs or small chocolate chips, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- ¼ cup sunflower oil
- ¼ cup water
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour – 180 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Making cake batter
- Finely chop the dates and walnuts and set aside. If you prefer, you can rinse dates, walnuts before chopping them.
- Line a 7.5 to 8 inches cake pan with parchment or grease it with a neutral flavored oil like sunflower oil.
- Take almond milk in a small pan and heat it gently on low. Do not boil the milk but only heat it.
- When the milk gets hot, place the pan on the kitchen countertop.
- Add the instant coffee, finely chopped dates and walnuts, sugar. Stir to get an even mixture and ensure that the coffee granules and sugar have mixed evenly.
- Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Now you can preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/392 F for 15 minutes.
- Sift whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Add dates and milk mixture to the sifted dry ingredients.
- If using cacao nibs or chocolate chips add them now.
- Next add sunflower oil, water and vanilla extract.
- Mix with a wired whisk or you can also choose to fold the batter. Mix or fold to an even batter. Remember not to overdo the mixing or folding.
- Pour batter in the greased or parchment lined cake pan.
- With the help of a rubber spatula remove the batter from the sides of the bowl and add it to the cake pan.
- Tap the pan on the countertop a few times so that the batter spreads on its own.
Baking date cake
- Place cake pan in the preheated oven and bake at 190 degrees C/392 F for 35 to 40 minutes.Keep in mind that each oven has a different baking temperature. So to bake the cake in your oven, it can take less or more time. It took me 40 minutes to bake this cake in my oven.
- Check cake with a bamboo skewer by inserting it in the center of the cake as well as around the edges. The bamboo skewer should come out clean.
- Place the cake pan on a wired rack or tray to cool.
- When cooled, slice and the Date and Walnut cake. Serve as a evening snack or as a dessert.
- The remaining cake can be kept in an air-tight box and refrigerated. Keeps well for about a week.
Notes
- You can make this date cake easily with all-purpose flour, pastry flour or whole wheat pastry flour. You can also use an equal mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.
- Addition of coffee and cacao nibs are optional.
- For a more earthy flavor in the cake, choose to add coconut sugar, palm sugar or jaggery.
- Use neutral flavored oil – one that is odorless and flavorless. Please do not use any oil which has an aroma or a particular flavor.
- Instead of oil, you can use softened unsalted butter. If using salted butter omit adding salt.
- Note that the approximate nutrition info is for the entire cake made from this recipe.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Date Cake recipe post from the blog archives first published in March 2013 has been republished and updated on Jun 2022.
It turned out very well but1 hour was too much time so it was little burnt!!!!
My fault….
timing in each oven varies. no problem, next time you can bake for less time.
Dear Dassana
Thank you very much for posting well-tried and easy recipes. I tried this cake many times and it comes out a perfect recipe. God bless you always and you keep sharing happiness and love around you.
thank you so much monika ????. thanks for the feedback also on the date and walnut cake recipe. wish you all the best. thanks again.
Tried this recipe and the cake turned out really well. Thank you so much for the recipe. I loved the fact that it is made with whole wheat flour. I just did 1 change. Instead of 3/4 cup sugar I added 1/2 cup since the dates I used were very sweet and we like the cake to be medium sweet. I will try all your cake recipes. Have tried 2 of them already.
thank you preethi for this detailed comment and lovely feedback. sugar can always be reduced if the dates are too sweet or if one prefers a less sweet cake. thanks again and i hope you enjoy baking the cake recipes from the blog.
Made this into muffin ! It turned out great! Love the healthy ingredients used and the cake is also not sweet which makes it a better alternative to the other fruit cakes that are loaded with sugar !
thank you for this positive review. agree with what you say. thanks for the rating too.
I love all your recipes! Cannot wait to try this one.
Can we use butter instead of oil in such recipes?
Thanks.
yes you can use butter. in this recipe, add butter to the hot milk along with coffee powder. mix very well. then add the dates. alternatively, you can add melted butter later when adding flour. you can use 1/2 cup melted butter or 125 grams solid or softened butter.
Tried same steps but cake is not at all fluffy,, it is because of water? Earlier I have tried without water and have not faced such kind of issue.
water has got nothing to do with the fluffiness. the fluffy texture issue would be due to the quality of baking powder or baking soda. if they are not fresh and active, it will make the cake dense. too much of mixing the batter can also make the cake dense. gluten strands form when batter is over mixed which make the cake dense.
Dear Dassana,
In the steps to make cake batter
“Step 11: Mix with an electric beater at medium to high speed….”
Does it have to be electric beater or will briskly mixing with wire whisk suffice?
Thanks in advance.
PS: I have tried your banana cake and gingerbread cake recipes… both turned out very nicely. You are doing a great job with simplifying these recipes for novice bakers like me. Also love the fact that most of your cake recipes need whole wheat flour. Thanks again!
hi VS, briskly mixing will also do. it is not essential to use an electric beater.
thank you very much. i will be adding some more baking recipes with whole wheat flour and fruits like crumble, cobbler etc.
welcome and happy baking.
Thank you for your response, Dassana 🙂 Can’t wait to try this now. Also excited about crumble recipes. If possible, please share some millet-based cake/cookie recipes. Thanks again!
Warmest regards
VS
welcome vasudha. sure, i will be adding some millet-based cookies and cake. three are 4 baking recipes in the drafts. 2 savory and 2 sweet. the sweet ones are cobblers, but i will make a crumble recipe in few days and take pictures. i usually make whole wheat crumbles, cobblers more than cakes or cookies as they are easy to make and take less time. plus the goodness of the fruits is also there. there are recipes in the drafts, but due to lack of time, i am not able to add them. let’s see how it goes.
thanks again and regards – dassana
I tried this cake so many times and love it. its one of my favorite recipes. I love your recipes Dassana. Thank you so much, you made cooking so much easier. 🙂
thank you nirmal. glad to read your comment. thanks again and welcome.
Thanks dassana for your instant reply….i have baked in aluminium pan and i do baking in Morphy Richards Otg .I do bake at very low temp to start with say 120 degree celcius. And i dont open the door as well till 3/4 of baking is done..May be overmixing could be the reason will try one more time n let u know…Thank you so much…
thank you mousumi for writing back. do not know bake at such a low temperature. bake at moderate temperature for 170 to 180 degrees celsius. could be the low temperature or the over mixing. i will be adding a detailed step by step post for this cake recipe in some weeks. so that will help. yes do try and let me know.
Hello Dassana…
I tried ur recp …the aroma was fabulous….i followed every thing the way it was mentioned but i don’t know why the cake remained uncooked at the base….when inserted a squier it came out clean.but after removing from the oven it got sinked…why does that happens? What i did wrong ?
hello mousumi, did you bake in a metal pan or silicon or glass pan? and did you bake in an OTG or a regular oven or in a convection mode of microwave oven. when baking in a microwave oven using the convection mode, the heat comes from the top and not the bottom. when using silicon or a glass pan, the bottom part will not get cooked faster as there is no heat source at the bottom and both silicon and glass are not good conductors of heat. so when baking in a microwave oven in the convection mode it is always better to use a metal pan. do note that use metal pans only in the convection mode and not in the microwave mode.
the sinking issue could be to over mixing of the batter. secondly, do not open the door at least till 3/4th of the cake is baked. if the door is opened many times, cool temperature from outside enters the oven and this affects the baking. thirdly, if the temperature inside the oven is too high, then it can cause the cake to sink from the center. so you can try baking at 165 to 170 degrees celsius. hope this helps.
Amazing is the word!! I tried this recipe. With minor changes. Used wheat only(no maida) and I put 1/4 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup as I was making my father in law who is diabetic. Inspite of that it turned out amazing!! The best part of it was that for the first time my cake fluffed up to double the original height!!! Everyone loved it!
wow. thats great to know. thank you jasleen. so glad to read your review and thanks for the rating too. happy cooking.
Hi
Tried many of your repices and they turnout very tasty.
And going to try date and walnut cake just wanted to know if using jaggery only then what quantity should I take.
Please reply.
thanks manasi for the feedback on the recipes you have tried. you can use 1/2 to 2/3rd cup jaggery.
Hello dassana,
This cake is awesome and I wish to try. Can u please guide me with respect to the size of baking tin used for this recipe. Also, in general, what is the most commonly used size of baking tin?
Regards,
Pallavi
thanks. a 7 to 8.5 inches (diameter) pan works very well for most cake recipes and are commonly used. for this date cake recipe, the pan is a 5.5 inches (diameter) and 2.75-inches deep pan.
Hi
I just made this cake and it looks delicious. Actually i was interested in this recipe as it has a lot of healthy ingredients in it. Thanks a ton.
thanks anna for this positive feedback and rating on the dates and walnut cake. welcome and happy baking.
Hi I had a question can ghee ever be used for cakes instead of oil.
ashwini, ghee can be used. many home bakers use ghee while baking. though with ghee, the cake will get its aroma. also ghee won’t go well in all types of cakes. example ghee will change the flavor and taste of a vanilla cake and it may not taste good. but in a mawa cake or perhaps a chocolate cake, ghee can bring out the flavors more. so experimentation is needed.
Hi,
I don’t have blender will the cut & fold method work? Do I hv to mix till regular sugar melts?
Also, any alternative for sugar?
yes cut and fold method will work. you can even mix everything gently. yes the sugar has to dissolve. the sugar will dissolve easily. you can use banana puree or apple sauce instead of sugar. avoid using honey as it becomes toxic on getting heated. you can even use jaggery powder, coconut sugar or palm sugar or palm jaggery instead of sugar.