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Date and Walnut Cake

Snejana Andreeva - 1

By Snejana Andreeva

on Jul 20, 2024, Updated Apr 03, 2025

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Medjool dates are a magical ingredient. 🪄 Here, they lend natural sweetness, a toffee-like flavor, and create a moist, dense, and rich cake . Because of the incredible texture and sweetness of dates, this recipe needs no eggs nor sweetener . The cake is studded with walnuts, which add nuttiness and a satisfying crunch. It’s a simple 5-ingredient cake, that is wholesome enough to enjoy for breakfast ☕️ and satisfying enough to call it dessert 🍰.

  • Why You’ll Love Date and Walnut Cake
  • How to Prepare
  • Nonna’s Tip 🍰
  • Variations and Substitutions for Date and Walnut Cake
  • Similar Recipes
  • Best Served With
  • Common Questions
  • Date and Walnut Cake Recipe
Close-up of a sliced, round walnut cake on a plate. The cake is densely packed with walnuts, both inside and on its golden-brown surface. A slice is lifted, revealing a moist, nut-filled interior. Another cake can be seen in the background. - 3

Why You’ll Love Date and Walnut Cake

You know I’m a sucker for easy, healthy cake recipes, and this one ticks all the boxes ✔️. It’s free of refined sugar, uses only 5 ingredients , the batter comes together in about 15 minutes, and it can be made vegan . Medjool dates are softened in warm milk and then blended into a thick paste which gives density, sweetness, and richness to the cake. The date paste is combined with oil and flour, the batter is poured into a pan, and dotted with walnuts. That’s it! 👏

How to Prepare

🔥 Preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Line a small 7-inch spring form pan with parchment paper.

🥛 In a pot on the stove, add the milk and let it come to a simmer. The milk should be hot.

Bowls of ingredients on a marble surface: flour, olive oil, whole dates, milk, and walnuts. - 4

⏲️ Place the pitted dates into a bowl and pour the milk over the dates. Let sit for 10-15 minutes or until they are very soft.

🌀 Now, add the softened dates and milk into a blender and blend until you have a thick paste.

A stainless steel bowl contains morel mushrooms soaking in a light-colored liquid. The bowl is placed on a white marble surface. - 5

🥄 Pour this mixture into a bowl, add in the oil and mix until combined. Stir in the flour and mix again until you have a pourable cake batter.

A stainless steel bowl on a light surface contains a mixture of nut butter and oil. A spatula with a transparent handle is partially submerged in the thick, brown mixture, which appears to have a smooth and slightly glossy texture. - 6

👩🏻‍🍳 Then pour the batter into the pan and shake gently from side to side to distribute it evenly.

🌰 Next, add the walnuts on top of the cake, making sure to cover the whole surface.

A round cake pan filled with smooth, light brown cake batter on a white marble surface. - 7

♨️ Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

🔪 Let cool for 10 minutes, slice, and enjoy warm!

Nonna’s Tip 🍰

If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can use 1 cup all-purpose flour and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to the recipe as well.

Two slices of walnut cake on a round plate, topped with whole walnuts. The cake has a rich brown color, and another plate with more cake slices is visible in the background. The setting is on a light-colored surface. - 8

Variations and Substitutions for Date and Walnut Cake

  1. You can certainly make this Date and Walnut Cake dairy-free by using your favorite unsweetened, non-dairy 🥛 milk instead of whole milk.
  2. I haven’t tried this personally, but I believe you would be able to use any 1-1 gluten-free flour to make this Date and Walnut Cake. You will also need to add some baking powder, about 1/2 teaspoon for a cup of flour.
  3. I love walnuts here, but you could absolutely use chopped pecans or almonds in this cake instead.
  4. Feel free to add some chopped 🥜 nuts to the cake batter as well.

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A baked oat dish topped with blueberries, served in a white ramekin. The surface is golden brown with bursts of juicy blueberries. Some oats and fresh blueberries are scattered on the white background. - 9 A baked oat dish topped with blueberries, served in a white ramekin. The surface is golden brown with bursts of juicy blueberries. Some oats and fresh blueberries are scattered on the white background. - 10

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A spoonful of warm bread pudding with walnuts and honey, held above a white ramekin filled with more pudding. The dessert has a golden-brown crust and is drizzled with honey, showing a moist, flavorful texture. - 11 A spoonful of warm bread pudding with walnuts and honey, held above a white ramekin filled with more pudding. The dessert has a golden-brown crust and is drizzled with honey, showing a moist, flavorful texture. - 12

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Best Served With

  • Serve this Date and Walnut Cake for an afternoon treat with ☕ coffee or tea.
  • Serve this beautiful cake on a dessert platter with a variety of cookies, such as my Honey Cookies , Pignoli Cookies or 3 Ingredient Almond Honey Cookies .
  • Serve after dinner with fresh 🍉 fruit and whipped cream.
  • Serve each warm slice with a scoop of ice cream 🍨.

Common Questions

Yes, you can use non-dairy milk, such as almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk. Just make sure it’s hot when you pour it over the dates.

I haven’t tried this personally, but I believe you would be able to use any 1-1 gluten-free flour that is for baking. You will also need to add some baking powder, about 1/2 teaspoon per 1 cup flour.

Yes, absolutely! Bake as directed, cool the cake completely, and then wrap it tightly in cling wrap. I also like to place the whole cake in a ziplock bag before freezing for up to a couple of months.

Yes, but the baking time will vary. For larger pans, the cake will bake faster, and for smaller pans, it may take longer. Keep an eye on it and check for doneness with a toothpick.

You can use a regular cake pan or even a loaf pan. Make sure to line it with parchment paper or grease it well to prevent sticking. When it comes out of the oven, run a knife along the edge to separate the cake from the pan.

Yes, you can but be sure to add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to the recipe in that case.

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Video

Equipment

  • ▢ Mixing Bowls
  • ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
  • ▢ Liquid Measuring Cup
  • ▢ Springform Pan (7-inch)
  • ▢ Parchment Paper

Ingredients

  • ▢ 12 Medjool dates , pitted
  • ▢ 1 cup milk , any kind, including vegan milks
  • ▢ ½ cup avocado oil , or any neutral oil
  • ▢ 1 cup self-rising flour
  • ▢ walnuts , halves or crushed pieces, for garnish

Instructions

  • ▢ Preheat the oven to 350F (177C).
  • ▢ Line a small 7-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. I like to spray it with oil first so that the parchment paper sticks to it.
  • ▢ In a pot on the stove, add the milk and let it come to a simmer. The milk should be hot. (Alternatively, you can warm the milk in a bowl in the microwave.)
  • ▢ Place the pitted dates into a bowl and pour the hot milk over the dates. Let sit for 10-15 minutes or until they are very soft.
  • ▢ Now, add the softened dates and milk into a blender and blend until you have a thick date paste.
  • ▢ Pour this mixture into a bowl, add in the oil, and mix until combined. Stir in the flour and mix again until you have a pourable cake batter.
  • ▢ Pour the batter into the pan and shake gently from side to side to distribute the batter evenly.
  • ▢ Next, add the walnuts on top of the cake, making sure to cover the whole surface.
  • ▢ Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • ▢ Let cool for 10 minutes, slice, and enjoy warm!

Nonna’s Notes

  • Dairy-free: You can make this Date and Walnut Cake dairy-free by using your favorite unsweetened, non-dairy milk instead of whole milk.
  • Gluten-free: Use any 1-1 gluten-free flour to make this Date and Walnut Cake. You will also need to add some baking powder, about 1/2 teaspoon for a cup of flour.
  • Nut alternatives: I love walnuts here, but you could absolutely use chopped pecans or almonds in this cake instead. Feel free to add some chopped nuts to the cake batter as well.

My Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Date and Walnut Cake

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowls
  • Measuring Cups + Spoons
  • Liquid Measuring Cup
  • Springform Pan (7-inch)
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients

  • 12 Medjool dates pitted
  • 1 cup milk any kind, including vegan milks
  • ½ cup avocado oil or any neutral oil
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • walnuts halves or crushed pieces, for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F (177C).
  • Line a small 7-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. I like to spray it with oil first so that the parchment paper sticks to it.
  • In a pot on the stove, add the milk and let it come to a simmer. The milk should be hot. (Alternatively, you can warm the milk in a bowl in the microwave.)
  • Place the pitted dates into a bowl and pour the hot milk over the dates. Let sit for 10-15 minutes or until they are very soft.
  • Now, add the softened dates and milk into a blender and blend until you have a thick date paste.
  • Pour this mixture into a bowl, add in the oil, and mix until combined. Stir in the flour and mix again until you have a pourable cake batter.
  • Pour the batter into the pan and shake gently from side to side to distribute the batter evenly.
  • Next, add the walnuts on top of the cake, making sure to cover the whole surface.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes, slice, and enjoy warm!

Video

Notes

  • Dairy-free: You can make this Date and Walnut Cake dairy-free by using your favorite unsweetened, non-dairy milk instead of whole milk.
  • Gluten-free: Use any 1-1 gluten-free flour to make this Date and Walnut Cake. You will also need to add some baking powder, about 1/2 teaspoon for a cup of flour.
  • Nut alternatives: I love walnuts here, but you could absolutely use chopped pecans or almonds in this cake instead. Feel free to add some chopped nuts to the cake batter as well.

Nutrition

Date and Walnut Cake https://themodernnonna.com/date-and-walnut-cake/ July 20, 2024