This easy Eggless Cake with the flavor of Dates and Walnuts is quick, easy and just out of this world. This recipe was submitted by Annam Arunachalam and we know that during the holiday season it’s just great to have another wonderful cake recipe. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
Dates – 20 (5oz or 150g)
Water – approx 1/2 cup, for soaking
Walnuts – 1/4 cup (30 g), chopped
Sweetened Condensed Milk – 14oz can (396g)
Unsalted Butter – 1 stick (4oz or 113g)
Baking Soda – 1 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
All-purpose Flour – 1 1/4 cups (183 g)
If you would like to use eggs, just add one egg and reduce the amounts to 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of baking powder.
Method:
1. Soak the Dates in warm water for about 30 minutes just to soften them.
2. Sift the All Purpose Flour along with the Baking Powder and the Baking Soda.
3. Press down on any lumps.
4. Make a paste of the Dates using as little water as possible either in a blender or a food processor.
5. Melt the butter so it is soft and mix it to the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda & baking powder).
6. Mix in the Dates paste and the Sweetened Condensed Milk. Mix well.
7. Fold in the Walnuts as well.
8. Spray/Grease a baking pan and pour the batter into it.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees C/350 degrees F) for 40 minutes in the center of the oven.
10. Once done, take the cake out and allow it to stand for 5 minutes before taking it out of the pan.
11. Loosen the edges and flip the cake onto a cooling rack.
12. Serve hot or cold.
Annam’s tips:
1. Replace the dates with fruit – pineapples (sounds good)!
2. If you are planning to frost the cake, allow it to cool all the way thru.
3. If the oven door is open in-between according to the temperature some oven will need 50min to bake.
4. If too much water is added to dates while grinding, the cake tends to sink.
Guys, you are too good to be true and real. All misconceptions about cooking have been busted by you. I can cook finger licking food being a guy, thanks to your suburb videos and guidance.
I have baked this cake numerous times and shared the cake and recipe with numerous friends and relatives. Recently while baking, I added two eggs and it turned out superb fluffy. I baked the cake in two potions so overcame with the problem of sinking in the bottom and gt two cakes for the price of one.
Keep doing the gorgeous job ladies!!! Hats OFF 🙂
Cheers!!!
Naveen
Thanks for the feedback Naveen! Glad to hear that your’re finding SMTC useful.
Useful, its kind of on the favorites of dozen of my friends. My wife has cooked so many dishes after finding that the recipes are simple and fingerlicious. Your Butter Paneer masala recipe is one of our favourite.
Thanks again for all the awesome work.
Naveen
why does everyone want to add eggs? there are tons of date cake recipes with eggs…try those.
OMG !!!! this is THE recipe. My son is allergic to eggs…and i tried this..he loved it…and my husband who has always hated all my eggless cake recipes…found this to be superb !!
always asking me to make this again n again…!!!
Thank you…thank you…thank you so much !!!!!
Try this recipe..u will fall in love..!!
dont keep on opening the oven to check…ingredients need the high heat to react..and bake…so be patient…check towards the end..!
Thanks for the feedback Sara! Glad you and your family enjoyed it.
hi..again me..i read all comments.. im confused abt using egg n adjust other ingredients…is we want to reduce baking soda n baking powder or baking soda only..pls mention it..i really want to try this..:)
Use 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of baking powder.
Hi…
i like to try this cake with egg..so when i want to add the cake mixture..? beaten or without beaten..? pls reply..
It doesn’t matter as long as it is mixed in properly.
Love this recipe .. I get great compliments whenever i make this cake.. I tried Pinapple (can) twice and it came out awesome.. now In india I tried tutty frooti bits instead of walnuts and it is divine.. please try it .. it adds the extra sweetness and comes out very rich… my family loves it..thanks for all your recipes..
Hi, I want to try this dates walnut cake. I am from India and am a little confused with some measurements.
1. Condensed milk- here we get 400g tin is it same as 14oz can/396g
2. Unsalted butter- I have a 200g tin of white butter.My concern is should it be exact 113g?May be I can take a little more than half on the tin? Will that be okay or should it be exact 113g?
Hi Anu,
Yes, the 400g tin of condensed milk will be fine as will a little more than half of the butter.
Tnx for ur response Hetal:)
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Can you please show the recipe for 7 layer magic bar and a good recipe for chewy brownie.
Thank You
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I was planning to make this cake for the holiday season. I wanted to know if I can use eggs in this recipe and what would be the proportion for the same. Will there be any other changes to the recipe? I think I had read somewhere on your FB page you had tried it with eggs not sure if it was this recipe. Did you face the problem of the cake sinking in the middle(as others mentioned) with or without eggs?
Thanks
Hi Sapna,
We did make this recipe with eggs. You can add one large egg and reduce the baking soda to 1 tsp. Without the eggs, the center inflates during the baking process, but goes down to almost flat towards the end (not necessarily sunk).
hi. i tried the walnut and dates cake and it came out really good. would please upload the video of making the famous red velvet cake ?
Hi Hetal &Anuja, show me the curry ROCKS!!!!!!
when you say all purpose flour do yo mean bleached,unbleached or self-rising
Thank you
Hi Amy,
We use bleached all-purpose flour…not self rising (it has added baking soda).
Hello again my good freinds.
I love this cake so much that I tried it as muffins ..
It turned out wonderful in all sizes of muffins . the little sizes were eaten almost at once ;-D lol lol
This wonderful cake – no matter what form – sure gives “spice to life” to the eaters 😀
Thank you again xxx 😀
I made this cake where I added a little zffran and cardamome as well as some chopped pistachio … I added some skinless mandles to the serface and cooked the caje for 30 min at ca. 200 degrees… Wow …the cake was like a gift from heaven and was a sucsess first time and it wasn’t flat … used a reqtangular bakepand…
They were great for this cake at work … especialy with a cup of ccffee.
I used 1 and 1/3 cups of flour instead for 1 1/4.
Thank yoy for “adding spice to my life” ;-D
Thank you so much Walter! Glad you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Hey beautiful ladies! By looking at the comments I feel I am very late in trying this recipe 🙂
Finally I made this cake today..It sinks a little but tastes really good.I feel it tastes very similar to Sticky dates pudding recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor. But that recipe has egg in it.
Hi Girls,
Thanks for such a wonderfull recipe.Taste was awesome except little of sinking in the middle. I want to use eggs in it, how many eggs I should use & do I need subtract anything from the recipe if use eggs.
Thanks,
Sonu
Hi Sonu,
You can reduce the baking powder and baking soda by 1/2 tsp each. The egg should take care of the rest.
Thanks for replying Hetal..:))
Thanks Hetal, Anuja. I tried this cake with dates, figs, a little chocolate sauce and almonds and it turned out very well 🙂 I am a fan of your recipes!
hi,
Hetal/Anuja.
I just wanted to ask if i use an egg in this recipie to prevent sinking ,should i skip any of the ingridients like baking soda…..?
Hi Ankita,
You can add the egg but we suggest you still keep the baking soda and powder. Just reduce the amounts to 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of baking powder.
thank u so much …..the cake was awsome….amazing….!!!!!
love u …..
Hi Hetal n Anuja,
The cake is just done! I m waitin for it to cool down.. this is my first time at baking and this is recipe is just super easy.. The cake did not sink at all.. Cant wait to eat it.
Thanks a lot guys.. u r doing an awesome job!!
🙂
That’s awesome Appy!
Hello Appy,
Do u remember which brand of dates you used for this cake? I have too made this cake many times,everytime it tasted wonderful but if i make this recipe other than medjool dates then it sinks.
So i was just curious to know.
Hi Madhulika,
We don’t remember the brand but the dates were purchased from Costco.
The cake is baking inside the oven right now. Can’t wait to try! 🙂
i just tried this awesome recipe.substituted all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and condensed milk with fat free condensed milk.my only problem was that i did not get that almost brownie like color.can u suggest any natural ways to add some color.
Hi Lakshmi,
We are surprised you did not – considering you used whole wheat flour… It should have been darker than otherwise, but it is an awesome cake, it’s it?
😉
Hi
I am a regular visitor of this site and have tried out quite a couple of recipes.
This date cake recipe seems healthy than other conventional cakes so will try this out today.
Thanks for putting in such great recipes!
Hi Rinky,
Glad you are enjoying SMTC! Thanks for your support 🙂
Tried this and it’s a wonderful recipe
🙂
What alterations should i do if have to make this an egg cake.
This is a really nice recipe and i want to stick to it by making very few changes. Please reply.
Cheers
Madhulika
I am still waiting 🙁
Thanks for sharing! it’s a Grrrreat recipe!!! The cake texture turned out to be exactly the same like ur pic and it sooo moist!! My family just love it!
p.s. I added 50gm of flour because it’s reaaly sweet (my mon is diabetic).. so we’re used to taking lesser sugar, i guess..
i baked for about 40 minutes at 180c and the cake was not really ready at the centre, hence the slight sinking in the middle but at the edges, the cake was a going to be dry.. so, i guess, next time i’ll just lower the temperature and bake for a little longer.. i’ll let u know if i do this 😀
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I must say that you both are doing a great work.
I came to US just a couple of months back. I have never baked a cake before. I was curious to try this and baked it today.
Needless to say the results. It was awesome and everyone at home loved it.
Thanks for posting such recipes.
Guess what!! I have been using the conventional oven only to stack my vessels in that. After seeing your tempting recipes (like cake, veg puffs), I started using the oven 🙂
Thanks
Nala
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I tried many of your recipes this week.. Dates and walnut cake, Banana Nut bread, Pav Bhaji, Dhaal with panch puran. They were all huge hit!! Thanks guyz. Keep up the good work.
I have a doubt regarding nuts(like walnuts, almonds). When we use the last few pieces in a box they have taste as if they are really old stock.. Is that usual or can we avoid it some way?
Thanks,
Padma
Hi Padma,
Walnuts are tricky – they get a stale/rancid smell and flavor once old 🙁 If you are uncomfortable – do not use them as your efforts and ingredients will go to waste 🙁
We usually store Walnuts (in fact all dry fruits) in the fridge, so they last longer… Hope that helps!
Thanks!!
Suggestion- It would be of great help if you can specify calories for the dishes along with the recipes.
Bye,
Padma
Hi Padma,
Thanks for the suggestion, we will look into it and see what we can do about it.
Cheers!
Hey Hetal Anuja!!
Can i use Maida instead of all purpose flour?
Thank you
Kriti
Hi Kriti,
All purpose flour and maida are the same thing.
Oh ok. I think i am still not well acquainted with American terms 🙂
Thank you so much
Kriti
Hiii
I am a regular follower of SMTC. I came upon this recipe and found it interesting. But the family is so health conscious that cant think of adding and entire can of condensed milk. Can sugar be substituted in its place?
Hi Hema,
The thing about baking is that it is hard to substitute ingredients. Many times the taste and texture are both affected. The condensed milk not only provides the sweetness but it also provides the moisture and milk in this recipe.
Forgot to mention..
Thanks a lot for the recipe… You guys are great ! I also tried Peda which was a big hit with my friends !
I tried the cake and it came out really great !
It is much better than so many store bought cakes with eggs..
I also wanted to mention that I kept 1/2 the batter for cake and the other 1/2 I made cup cakes..this way they didnt sink like many had mentioned ..
My son loved it !!
They turn out to be just as u mentioned !!
Priya
Hi Hetal and Anuja! Just tried your Dates cake and it came awsome… I very new to this baking and i find your cake videos to be really easy for beginners like me. Can you post more recipes like chocolate cake, basic sponge cake that may be usefull for this christmas to be made???
Hi Ashwini,
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the dates cake. We do have an Eggless Chocolate Cake video you may like. Here is the link: https://34.233.61.50/desserts/eggless-chocolate-cake.html
Hi Hetal,
Can I use almonds instead of walnuts.
Hi Nisha,
You could use any nuts however the flavor will change slightly depending on the nut used.
Hi Hetal, Anuja
My cake came out very nice no sinking at all. By reading all comments I was afraid of sinking cake in middle. I prepared it in loaf pan and made date paste without water.
Thanks for sharing such nice a recipe.
Your welcome Rachana! Thanks for the feedback.
Hello Ladies,
How r both of you.
I tried this recipe few days before and it was the best eggless cake i ever had. Not only me also my husband and my frns liked it very much. I have my frn’s 10th wedding anniversary and i will be making this recipe.
Please come up with some more eggless cake recipes like this.
Wonderful Job !!!
Thanks for the feedback Madhulika! Glad everyone enjoyed the cake!
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe, the cake was awesome, I think this is the best eggless cake I have ever had.
Thank you guys again,
please post recipe for Mathipaak…Hetal please ask your mom for it….kindly. I am sure she makes great Methipaak….I know it is more popular with us Gujratis. :))
Love,
Rani
I will definitely ask my mom. 🙂
The cake turned out good. I can taste/smell the desi ghee but my family insists it’s only because I know about it. I followed the recipe to the T. Looks like my oven is in line with yours because 40 minutes baking time was just perfect. I used a bundt pan so no sinking problems either:)
Thanks a bunch, Hetal & Anuja!
~Anu
Hi Arpana,
Glad it worked out for you! Enjoy!
I stumbled upon your website this afternoon while searching for some recipes for date cake. Trying it out right now – it’s in the oven. I must commend both of you for the excellent job you ladies have done with Southeast Asian recipes.
Will let you know tomorrow how the cake turns out. I was out of butter so replaced it with desi ghee – a bit nervous about this replacement as I have never tried baking cakes with desi ghee before.
Something tells me I am hooked to this site for life now:) Also shared the link with an American colleague of mine – she is crazy about Indian food. Keep up the great job, Anuja and Hetal!
Thanks for spreading our word and helping us to grow! 🙂
Hi Guys,
Another quick question, can I use flexseed to replace the baking soda and baking powder, will that help the cake be more moist? If yes, how much?
Thanks again,
Rani
Studio City
Hi Rani,
We have not replacing flaxseed powder for the baking soda/powder so we cannot say for sure. Baking is a science and most times, recipes have to be followed exactly.
Hi Guys,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I made it yesterday, using whole wheat flour, it came out good.
I have QUESTION…..if I need to make a bigger cake and double all the ingredients…what about the cooking time?
Also what size pan did you use for your cake?
Please let me know asap, I need to bake it tomorrow.
Many thanks,RAni
Hi Rani,
Several viewers have had issues with the cake sinking in the middle so we do not suggest making a double batch in one pan. Our pan was approx a 10″ cake round but we have had really good results with using a bundt pan as well. Good luck!
Hi, if I only have baking powder at home, how much I should use it in the recipe? because you said that baking powder and baking soda is the same, but the recipe says to use both of them, I got confuse about it. Thank you..
Hi Sherly,
Baking powder and baking soda are not the same. They both have baking soda in them, but baking powder has more ingredients. You should get baking soda for the texture of this cake to come out properly.
Awesome turnout….have made it myself a couple of times and also passed on the website link to many more….the result is always the same….YUMMMMMM….!!! 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I tried the dates walnut cake recipe today. The cake turned out very nice. Except that it is not sweet enough. I personally don’t like my dessert to be very sweet. But this cake’s sweetness is not even able to satisfy my taste buds. I have made this cake for a tea party and I am worried that my friends would not like it much. Do you think there is a way I could adjust the sweetness of cake now?
Hi Swati,
This particular cake is not meant to be as sweet as regular cakes but then it is a personal preference. You can try to garnish it with some whipped cream at the time of serving. Try the one that comes in a spray can…it has some sweetness to it and looks pretty.
OMG…I made it today & it was a super duper hit…made it with bundt pan.superb…u gals rock….keep up the good work
I made this cake for my friend’s bday yesterday. This is my 3rd attempt at making this cake. Its tasting better each time. This morning I got calls from all my friends asking for the recipe.
I read someone’s comment that they burnt their cake. Hey it happened to me the first time I baked this cake too. Your oven needs less time to bake this cake. yesterday I baked my cake for just 32minutes and it turned out perfect. So just experiment and find the right bake time for your oven
from where i get condensed milk?
hi hetal and anuja
i want to replace dates with banana,
so plz let me know how many banana should be use?
thanks
Hi Deepti,
You can mash up bananas to get to a little more than 150 grams (5 ounces). That is the amount of dates we use but we also use a little water for grinding. Since bananas already have the moisture, you can just add a little more banana. Have you tried the Banana Nut Bread? Some of our viewers have made it without the egg and it’s worked for them.
Hello Anuja and Hetal,
I have a question on general-baking. Do all ovens require some pre-heating? I have micro-grill-oven combo thing(15L).
I baked a cake first time in Oven mode yesterday and I pre-heated the oven at 170 deg for 10 minutes.
But when I placed the batter-tin(15cm steel) inside, the top crust of the cake cooked quite quickly and became extra brown(overcooked or slightly burnt). I had to stop the oven after 25 minutes (though the recipe required 30-35min baking time)..
Finally, when i took the cake out, the top crust was oven-done as mentioned above but the rest of the cake was just perfect(soft,pongy n yummy)…
wjat cold have gone wrong with the top crust here? Pre-heating issue or anything else?
thanks..
additional info:
the manual says:
microwave mode 500W.200W
Oven Mode: 1100W
Could it be that 170degrees was too high a temperature for such high power?
here is the pic
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/105137142858961222329/20100509?authkey=Gv1sRgCP2tvPPuioacPA#5469103023872020386
the dark-brown(slightly burnt) layer is thin and easily peeled off. the portion under looks like the right hand portion of cake.
Hi R,
Honestly, we have never used a micro-grill oven combo but all ovens work differently. Whenever you see time and temperature in a recipe, it is only a guideline. You really have to experiment with your oven to determine if it is more or less powerful.
Regarding your question about pre-heating…yes, you do have to preheat your oven if you intend to bake. You do not need to preheat if you want to broil something (heat coming from top for quick browning).
If your cake is browning too fast at the top, then definitely use a lower temp than what the recipe states.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Tried this cake today..I came out really good except for few things like all others have told. 1.the cake sank slightly in the middle. 2.the edges became a bit crusty!! donno y?
Anyways my husband loved it and he is a big fan of dates 🙂
Thanks,
Sangy
Hi Sangeetha,
If you eat eggs, add one or add flaxseed substitute, it works like a charm!
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Tried this cake yesterday and it came out really well. I was baking a cake for the first time and was not sure about the result. Was so happy of my adventure that sent a snap of the cake to my mom. Its a wonderful recipe. Keep up the good work.
Best Wishes….Sujata