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Healthy Chocolate Date Walnut Cake (Polka Dater Cake)


  • Author: Allison
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 16 servings 1x

Description

This healthy chocolate date walnut cake is a modern take on classic polka dater cake. Sweetened with dates and coconut sugar and made with spelt flour instead of white flour, this cake is lower glycemic than the original while still maintaining all of the classic charm.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/4 cups pitted Medjool dates (about 14), chopped after measuring
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup grass-fed organic butter, softened.
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups light spelt flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips, divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnut halves

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or coconut oil.
  2. Place the pitted dates in a heat-proof glass or metal bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Drain through a fine mesh sieve after 5 minutes and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and coconut sugar using electric beaters or a stand mixer. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  5. Stir the softened dates, making sure that they have almost completely cooled to prevent melting the chocolate, into the butter mixture, followed by the dry ingredients.
  6. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.
  7. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and the chopped walnut halves.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  9. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving with ice cream, a glass of your favourite milk, or coffee/tea.

Notes

Though I have not tried it, you may be able to make this cake vegan by using coconut oil instead of butter and 2 flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp ground flax plus 2.5 tbsp water, set aside for 5 minutes to thicken) instead of the eggs.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: chocolate date walnut cake, polka dater cake, date cake, date walnut cake