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Ruchik Randhap

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Date & Walnut Cake

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They say all good things come in small packages. I couldn’t agree more. I have a teeny tiny package sleeping in my cradle this very moment. My little baby is over a month now and it is such a pleasure to experience motherhood all over again – despite the sleepless nights. My husband is also enjoying his time with his daughter and is waiting for daddy’s little girl to flash her first toothless grin at him.
At this very moment I cannot help feeling more blessed and thankful. God has blessed me with a lovely family – my husband and two lovely children, a blog that keeps me going and a million friends who encourage and support me. A couple of years ago, feeling pretty down and lonely I prayed for some good friends. My prayers were answered in special way. Not only did I find good friends – mums of my son’s friends from his first playschool, but also a good number of people who became friends because of the blog. Readers who thanked me for recipes that reminded them of their homes & childhood. Long lost school friends who re-connected with me thanks to the internet. New friends who joined my Facebook page first and thereafter went on to become my ‘virtual’/online buddies. The list is ever growing and I am so happy that there is no dearth of people to turn to for love, encouragement, support – to share a tear or a smile.
Christmas is that time of the year when families come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is not just a festival, but a season of love – to celebrate love. This celebration also calls for some self introspection – to quickly glance through the year that has gone by and ask ourselves whether ours was a life well lived. Whether we made a difference to another person, whether we brought meaning into our own life. I hope this season you have the opportunity to do all this and more – to say thank you, I love you and sorry!
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Today as my blog has crossed 1 million page views, I wish to thank 3 special people who are in a very special way connected to the success of this blog. They were instrumental in pushing me to create the blog, revive it and keep it going when all I wanted to do was chuck it all and go back into my shell. Not only has this helped me widen my horizon beyond my home & hearth but also helped me grow as a person. Roshan, my darling husband, Prema, my dearest friend & cousin and May, my lovely friend. Thank you guys for every piece of advice, encouragement and love.
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At this point it would be totally unfair if I didn’t thank my dear readers for taking the blog to where it stands today. It has gained popularity and in turn helped many people learn about our traditional Mangalorean recipes, because of those who have spread the word – for this I thank you. And also to all those of you who have poured your love & appreciation via comments or emails – telling me stories about your childhood or about how a certain dish evokes fond memories of your homes, families or people you have grown to love. I am so touched when I receive such mails and I always choke up while I read them.
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So thank you dear readers for making Ruchik Randhap what it is today, in your own special way! May you have a blessed & meaningful Christmas season!
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Date & Walnut Cake

This old fashioned date & walnut cake is a perfect replacement for your usual fruit cake for Christmas or a slightly fancy cake for your teatime!
4.67 from 3 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 41 minutes
Total Time: 56 minutes
Author: Shireen Sequeira @ www.ruchikrandhap.com

Ingredients

  • 175-200 gms pitted dates finely chopped * see notes
  • 100 gms (1 cup) walnuts roughly chopped
  • 100 gms (2/3rd cup) soft brown sugar (I used dark muscovado)
  • 100 gms (3/4th cup+1 tbsp) all purpose flour (maida)
  • 100 gms (1/2 cup) butter softened at room temperature
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder *see notes
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp honey optional

Instructions

  • Prepare an 8"x4"x2" loaf pan - grease the insides and line with parchment/butter paper. Keep aside. Preheat the oven at 160°C / 320°F  (for 15mins if you are using an OTG without the pre-heat option).
  • Place the chopped dates in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover them. Keep aside for 10-15minutes. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg powders together a couple of times and keep aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add one egg at a time and beat well till incorporated. Add the honey and mix well.
  • Sift in the flour in 3 parts, mixing each part with a spatula till incorporated. Add the nuts and the dates (drained) and fold.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack/mesh to cool for 15mins.  Remove from tin and allow to cool completely before cutting. Sift some powdered sugar over the surface to decorate (optional)
  • Serve with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Notes

I used Omani dates that were just ripe and were not overly sweet. You may use the variety of your choice. Mushier & darker (in colour) dates will yield a sweeter taste and darker colour. The original recipe asked for 200gm, but I reduced it to 1 cup (approx 165gm) that yielded a mildly sweet cake.
Instead of cinnamon & nutmeg powder you may use mixed spice powder that is generally used for Christmas cakes. Two pinches of dried orange peel powder will also add to the taste and aroma.

Disclaimer

The nutritional values are only indicative.

Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap

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Comments

  1. Priya Sreeram says

    hearty congratulations shireen; every milestone of your blog a well derserved success; hope you grow in leaps and bounds and my hugs and kisses to the lil one in the cradle. what have you named her ??

    Reply

  10. Rinku Naveen says

    Congrats n time for double celebrations! And big thanks to Ro for being a big support to you. It may not have been possible without your effort and his support. So touched with all that you expressed. Readers support is also important. I pray n hope u reach new heights each day:) actually triple celebrations tomorrow being a special day 😉 love you lots

    Reply

  13. Ms. Quote says

    Shireen, Thanks for this recipe. I have been researching for a good dates & walnut cake recipe but didn't find anything appealing. I will definitely try this one. Will the wet/juicy dates work for this. May be there is no need to pour boiling hot water. What do you think?
    I have been doing the Ultimate winner Christmas cake of yours. I have done it 4 times already in the last year. I have also tried lots of other recipes of yours.

    Reply

  14. Shireen Sequeira says

    @ Ms Quote: Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback! For this cake you can definitely use wet/juicy dates – sweeter the better if you desire a sweeter cake. Adding boiling water aids in making a pulp of the dates and also to release the darkish colour that is required for the cake (unless you prefer it otherwise)

    Reply

  20. Benny says

    Thanks a lot Shireen for the receipe ..all your receipes look interesting… What is the shelf life of this cake ? How long can I keep it? Can I make the same cake without dates ?
    I haven’t tried the receipe but want to try it …want to know shelf life pls.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Hi Benny,

      The cakes I make at home don’t last for more than a day as we end up eating them quickly. You can probably keep these for upto 3 days at room temperature provided the weather is cool. You can make a simple walnut cake, the recipe is on this website. Please use the search bar on the top of this page.

      Reply

  21. Siddiqa Kagdi says

    This recipe is amazing. My father is a fan of this cake. I’m so glad i came across this page. Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Hi Siddiqa,

      Thank you so much for your feedback! So glad to know that your father enjoys this cake!

      Reply

  22. Gloria Pinto says

    Hi Shireen,
    In the ingredients list, you have mentioned the gms as well as the cups measurement. For walnuts, it is mentioned 100gms 1 cups . Is it 100gms plus 1 cup? Or have you mentioned them separately? As in 100gms or 1 cup walnuts? Please let me know soon . I plan on making this cake for Christmas parTy at my home.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Hi Gloria,

      Sorry it should be 100 gms (1 cup). I missed the brackets, I have edited my recipe now. Sorry for the delayed response and thank you so much for pointing it out!

      Reply

  23. Suzan says

    I made this cake last week. It turned out very tasty and soft. I usually refer your blogs for baking and it has never disappointed me 🙂 Will keep trying more……..thank you.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Suzan! I am so glad to know that my blog is your go-to for baking recipes! Do stay tuned for more 🙂

      Reply

  24. Andrea Pereira says

    Hi,
    Your recipe for Date and Walnut cake is very well written, and am eagerly looking forward to trying it out. Will definitely send you feedback post baking and walloping.

    Thanks !

    Reply