My mum again has shared with me this beautiful cake recipe from a Croatian community cookbook of hers, and I must say this recipe is for an absolutely divine cake…and I’m not just saying this like I might say with every cake I make!
It really is one of my new favourite cakes… I truely love a cake that is fruity and nutty but not over the top like a traditional fruit cake, which I’ve never really been much of a fan of at all.
In this cake the dates are soaked and delicately resonate throughout the moist cake, and then the topping is an indulgence of the buttery walnutty sort which also soaks down into it. No overly sweet icing, just the perfect balance of fruity, nutty, sweetness which I adore. I really couldn’t stop at one piece with this gorgeous cake… it really did fulfill all my sweet desires.
Croatian Date Cake
- 1 cup of chopped dates
- 125g butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Soak the chopped dates in a bowl with 1 cup of boiling water, and leave to rest.
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
- Add the egg.
- Add the dates and liquid.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Pour into a cake tin and bake at 180c. for 30mins.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the following topping in a saucepan.
- 50g butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut thread
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- 1/2 cup cream (or full fat milk)
- Combine everything together in a saucepan and set aside.
- Once the cake has baked for 30mins remove it from the oven and pour the topping over the cake.
- Bake for a further 30mins or until ready.
