Date cake Indian-style
Spices add a sweet taste of the exotic to a precious treat
I love baking, but until I was 16, our oven was just used as a place to keep big cutting boards and exiled frying pans.
My Indian parents were of a place and time where no one had ovens at home.
All breads were flatbreads, like chapatis, which were hand-rolled and cooked on the stove and all cakes, if any, were either baked with the help of the village bakery or purchased.
Even now, ovens are rare across the whole of India because there’s never been much of a culture around baking, so baked goods are precious treats and baker’s skills are revered.
Having not grown up with baking, the first cake I made felt like real magic.
Creating a goo out of eggs, butter, sugar and flour and watching it rise into something magnificent was very special to me and the total opposite to the way we cooked Indian food, by tasting, balancing and adjusting along the way.
Over time, classics became mingled with Indian spices and ingredients like cardamom, cinnamon and dates — as in this cake.
The dates add a lot of moisture, density and a caramel flavour to the sponge and the spices add sweetness and exoticism.
Strictly speaking, the icing is unnecessary — a dusting of icing sugar would do — but the coffee butter icing gives it a special celebratory feel, which is, partly what baking is really all about.
Date and Cardamom Cake with Coffee Frosting
Soft dates are best for this cake as they’ll add to the moisture. Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (30 minutes active time) Serves: 10 For the cake:
1/4 lb (114 g) stick butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) dates, pitted 3/4 cup (180 mL) sugar 2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) ground cardamom 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder A pinch of salt For the frosting: 6 tbsp (90 mL) butter, softened 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) powder sugar 1 tsp (5 mL) instant coffee granules
1 tbsp (15 mL) boiling water Butter a loaf tin (9-by-5 inches/22.5by-12.5 cm) and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
Chop the dates and place them in a saucepan. Add 1 cup (250 mL) of water to the pan and bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring occasionally. When the dates disintegrate into a soft paste, take off the heat and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar, cream together, then add the eggs, mixing in one by one. Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and spices and when folded, add the date mixture and mix well.
Pour the batter into the loaf tin and place in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin to cool before removing.
To make the frosting, mix the coffee granules with a tablespoon (15 mL) of boiling water (no more or you’ll have wet frosting until the granules dissolve. Add the butter and sugar and whisk until soft and creamy.
When the cake has cooled, remove from the tin and smooth the frosting over the top.