From the menu...

People travel far and wide for Lydia’s date scones at Seashore Cabaret. Reader Jenny Ngan Kee would love the recipe.

Jenny Ngan Kee visits the cafe weekly with friends and says the highlight a date scone, named after the cafe’s baker. The scones are ’’absolutely delicious’’, she says. ‘‘They’ve got my vote for the best in Wellington. They’re a little bit different from your usual date scone with layers of date striated through the scone.’’

Ngan Kee would love the recipe so she can get her fix more than once a week. We contacted the beach-side cafe on her behalf, which supplied the recipe.

Lydia’s date scones Makes 12

450gm flour 1 1⁄2 tablespoons baking powder 3 tablespoons citrus sugar (see recipe below)

1⁄2 teaspoon of salt 260g grated butter (grate then chill) 180g creme fraiche 4 eggs Date paste (see recipe below) 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Mix the flour, baking powder, citrus sugar and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk the creme fraiche, vanilla and eggs. Add the chilled grated butter to the flour mixture and combine by rubbing in with hands, then gently fold in creamy egg mix until a rough dough is formed. Turn out the dough on to a floured bench, gather into a ball and roll to 1.5cm thick square, fold in thirds, then fold in opposite thirds and press down. Chill in the freezer for five minutes. Roll the dough into a rectangle 1.5cm high and spread date paste all over, right to the edges. Then roll the dough into a log, sit the seam side face down. Press down gently. Cut the log into 12 even-sized triangles and place on a baking tray. Egg wash each scone and sprinkle generously with citrus sugar. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for about 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Date paste 2 cups dates

Place dates in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Wait 10 minutes, remove from water and add to food processor. Save the water. Pulse dates into small bits and add small amounts of water until a paste is formed. Add a pinch of salt and process again briefly. Citrus sugar 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon orange zest 2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon 300g raw sugar

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Then keep refrigerated.

Seashore Cabaret, 160 The Esplanade, Petone. Open Monday to Wednesday 7am to 5pm, and Thursday to Sunday 7am to 9pm.

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