Hadiya's Date And Caramel Cake!



Warm caramel sauce over a lovely soft date cake.

It was just before the beginning of Ramadan when my husband came home one day with a few boxes of Medjool dates. Me being a lover of dates I decided I wanted to bake a cake and incorporate dates in the recipe. so I opened my laptop and began to search for how to make a date cake. I finally came across a site that I liked and decided to test it out.. it was terrible! Anyway after a few attempts
adding my own my style to it I got it right!  

I personally use Medjool dates because I find them to be darker in colour as well as stickier and richer in taste. You can find them in your local butchers, however if you cant find them any other dates will do.



RECIPE;
Yields 6-8  Prep Time 20mins  Cooking Time 45mins

You'll Need

350g medjool dates (pitted and chopped finely)
2 cups of boiling water
2 teaspoons of bicarb
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
150g of butter at room temp
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (no specific brand or type)
2 eggs at room temp
2 1/2 cups of self raising flour

For the caramel sauce I advise making it from scratch. There is a big difference in taste between shop bought and home made and tbh Home made wins every time. but if like me and you don't always have the time to make it from scratch CARNATION CARAMEL SAUCE is ok. 
                                                
                       You will need
65g of butter (cut into small chunks at room temp)
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup (350ml) of extra thick double cream
1 cup of brown sugar
                   
Method
  • preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Gas mark 4 /350 degrees Fahrenheit) then grease and line an 8 inch pan with baking paper.
  •  place your dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof bowl or pan and cover with water. Allow to stand for 20-25 minutes.
  • In a separate bowl beat your vanilla sugar and butter until fluffy then one at a time add in your eggs. if you don't have an electric mixer use a whisk.
  • once your dates are tender pour in the dates along with the hot water into the butter mix bowl whisking gently.
  • finally add in your flour and fold gently creating a smooth somewhat thick consistency.
  • pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes or until you insert a toothpick or knife in the centre of the cake and it come out clean.
Leave to stand for 10 minutes transfer until a wire rack or plate, then add your warm caramel sauce (combine remaining ingredients into a pot over medium to low heat and stir for 2-3 minutes. reduce heat to the lowest setting and allow to lightly simmer)

       AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!



Lemon and cinnamon chia seed "summer" pudding.


chia seed pudding topped with frozen pineapples grapes and dates.
This recipe has been sightly adapted from thewanderingeater.com

I originally bought a packet of chia seeds so I can add them to my home made seed bread but iv been extremely lazy and never got round to it. Anyway today I woke up craving mousse! of all things to crave mousse was on my mind, but as I am on the path to healthier eating I thought I better not. so I hit Google and found chia seed pudding to be a good alternative. A lot of sites compared this pudding to tapioca which I absolutely hate but my husband loves it so I'm forced to see it in my cupboards everyday!

Now the thing I like the most about this pudding is that its not like tapioca! its better by far! its soft gooey and crunchy in the middle.

I did a few adjustments on the original recipe from Thewanderingeater.com such as omitting the salt and replacing honey with cinnamon.



Recipe

You'll Need..

31/2 cups of almond milk
100g of chia seeds
3 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1/2 cup of chopped and pitted dates  more for garnishing (I use medjool dates
100ml of boiling water
1/4 cup of mixed fruit (pineapples and grapes)
                   
Method
  •  Soak your dates in hot water until soft
  • In a blender blend the almond milk lemon zest and cinnamon for about 20 seconds until combined
  • Remove your dates from the water and place in the blender with the almond milk etc blend for another 30 seconds.
  • Add your chia seeds then shake until fully combined
  • Leave in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight until it becomes pudding like.
  • Pour into a cup or bowl and top with fruit and remaining dates.
Store leftover pudding in the fridge.
                          ENJOY!