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.
Can i make muffins from this recipe instead of cake
You can try. I think the recipe should work.
looking forward to make this on my day off 🙂
uf too good ! Nutritious and healthy, as well !!
I’m quite a klutz when it comes to working in the kitchen, especially while baking but I managed to make this cake without tearing off any of my limbs and it’s honestly the best walnut and date cake I’ve ever had.
You can’t even find such a cake in a professional bakery! Hands down, my go to recipe every-time I bake.
Lovely and thanks for this wonderful feedback on the date cake. Happy!
Hii, what tool did u use to calculate the nutritional value?
Its an inbuilt tool with the recipe card.
Hi Dassana,
What is the oven temperature for baking? I didn’t use an electric beater. I used a wire whiskers but it didn’t come out well.When are you posting step by step pictures. I will try this again next week or I will wait until the detailed recipe with photos😊. Thank you for making everybody bake.
Thanks
Archana
Hi Archana, the temperature for baking is 200 degrees celsius – same as the preheat temperature. A wired whisk is also good enough to do the mixing. If the batter has got over mixed than the texture will become dense. I will try to add soon. Good you reminded me. I was thinking of updating the vanilla cake but I will work on this recipe as well. It will take some weeks or a month for me to update. Currently having more work than usual due to the lockdown. Thanks a lot for the kind words.
I tried the date and walnut cake. It really turned out to be great. Both my husband and my son appreciated it.
Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for the feedback and glad to know that your family liked dates and walnut cake. Welcome.
Made it..and it turned out super delicious…loved it..thanks 🙂
Good to know and thanks for sharing the feedback and rating.
𝙃𝙞 𝘿𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖,
𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚, 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙞𝙭. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙩, 𝙣𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣.. 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙜.. 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙨.. 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙣 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.
𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨,
𝘼𝙣𝙟𝙖𝙡𝙞
Hello Anjali, sinking is usually due to high heat and can be also due to over mixing the batter. Mix evenly but do not overdo it. You can even reduce the heat while making the cake in the cooker. So keep medium-low or low heat. The pan with the cake batter has to go immediately in the preheated cooker or preheated oven. It should not be allowed to rest. This can also cause the sinking in the center. Also tap the pan on the work surface and the sides. I hope this helps.
Hi Dassana,
Thank you for the reply.I will try again and keep you posted 🙂 . Though I’ve been facing challenges the end product is really tasty 😋
Regards
Anjali
Hi Anjali, welcome and do let me know. Happy Baking!
Dassana,
Can you please suggest me the ingredients measurements is want to cook with only one cup all purpose flour.thank you
Hi Shree, that will be difficult for me as I really lack time. You can use an online recipe proportion calculator to change all the ingredients or do it manually with mathematics. I hope this helps. Sorry about this.
What if i dont have cocoa nibs or chocolate chips? Any substitutes?
Just skip them. No need to add any other ingredient in place.
Hi Dasana Amit! I’m big fan of you as well as your recipes. I always wanted to bake my own whole Wheat bread and I tried your recipe and it turned out so well. Then I tried many of your dishes. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
hi anita, thank you very much for this lovely feedback on whole wheat bread and other recipes you have tried. so glad to know. most welcome.
Hello Mam,
Can you help understand the contents in gm as understand it in cup measurement becomes difficult as cup sizes could vary?
P.S – I have recently bought a weighing machine to help measure contents accurately.
Regards
Minakshi
hello minakshi, when you measure any solid and dry ingredient in a measuring cup, it will weigh differently on the weighing machine. example 1 cup of granulated sugar weighs 200 grams whereas 1 cup of whole wheat flour weighs 120 grams. when weighing just weigh the dry ingredient directly without using any cup or bowl. if you have to use a bowl or cup, then use the tare button in the machine. the tare button will subtract the weight of the bowl or cup and then when you add the dry ingredient, the machine will only measure the weight of the ingredient.
so either you only measure in grams or in cups. i give both in the baking recipes as some readers have cups and some have a weighing scale. in commercial kitchens and bakeries, the ingredients for baking goods are weighed and then made. there is a set proportion for the main ingredients added and this proportion can be scaled up or down. hope this helps.