“For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake.” ~ Alfred Hitchcock, English film director, 1899-1980

When visiting southern California earlier this year, we visited a date farm with its oasis of beautiful, towering palm trees. It was a splendid place and we learned a great deal about dates. The take away for me was that dates contain a very large amount of natural sugar, but also calcium, dietary fiber, and some other vitamins and minerals.

The date’s natural sweetness, means we don’t have to add as much processed sugar to baked goods, and this Date Cake is no exception. Without eggs and butter, this one is significantly lighter than the cake we enjoyed at the date farm, but even tastier with the addition of the whole grain oatmeal and coconut used to enhance the moistness.

Date Cake

Serves 6-9
Time: 5 minutes prep, plus 1 hour up front and 40 minutes baking

8 ounce package chopped dates
¾ cup non-dairy milk (we used So Delicious Coconut Milk beverage)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
½ cup sugar
1 cup quick oats
¼ cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dusting of confectioner’s sugar to garnish (optional)

Mix the chopped dates and milk in a medium bowl and allow to stand for 1 hour before proceeding. This will soften the dates.

Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan and preheat oven to 350° F.

Stir the vanilla, vegetable oil and sugar into the dates, then add the remaining ingredients and stir just until combined, about 30 strokes. Pour into the baking pan and level the top. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake will be a rich brown color.

Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan if you wish. Otherwise, cool completely in the pan before cutting. Dust individual pieces with confectioner’s sugar just before serving if desired.
Is Saturday night date night at your house? A little date cake along with a few screams to accompany an Alfred Hitchcock video can make for a fun in-house evening while the neighborhood devils are lurking outside your door. Is there one you haven’t seen yet?