This cake is loosely based on one from the petite kitchen blog. I’m not going to say that it’s the best cake I’ve ever eaten, but the simple joy of cake after a few weeks of self-restriction was enough to give it serious brownie points. The dark sponge was bouncy, light, and redolent of a homely gingerbread. The dates added sweetness, but no overwhelming date flavour, the ground almonds lingered fragrantly adding depth and structure, but the real punch came from the cinnamon and ginger – warming and autumnal (even if it is nearly spring). The pecan nut topping became slightly caramelised in the oven under its maple syrup coating, and added great crunch to the cake in contrast to the soft sponge. Served with crème fraîche (almost like icing…) and an extra drizzle of maple syrup, it was a highly successful, saintly pudding.
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Maple-Pecan Date Spice Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
The pecan nut topping became slightly caramelized in the oven under its maple syrup coating, and added great crunch to the cake in contrast to the soft sponge.
Ingredients
- 170g dates (soaked for a couple of hours, then drained)
- 200g ground almonds
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) maple syrup
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For the topping
- 100g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup
- Crème fraîche and more maple syrup to serve.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease a 20cm square (or round) cake tin with butter. Line the bottom of the tin with greaseproof paper.
- Place the soaked dates, ground almonds, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and spices into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Mix together the chopped pecans and the maple syrup and then scatter them over the surface of the cake. Bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing it. Serve with crème fraîche and maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Cake
- Cuisine: European
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 380
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do the dates need to be soaked before use?
The 170g of dates need to soak for a couple of hours and be drained before going into the food processor. Soaking softens them so they blend smoothly into the batter — without soaking, they would be too firm and could leave chunks. The article notes that despite using dates, the finished cake doesn’t taste strongly of dates.
Is this cake gluten-free?
Yes — the sponge is made entirely with 200g of ground almonds instead of wheat flour, with no flour in the ingredient list. The article describes the resulting texture as bouncy and light, with a gingerbread-like quality from the 1 tsp each of cinnamon and ginger. 
How do you get the caramelized pecan topping without it burning?
Mix the 100g of roughly chopped pecans with 2 tbsp (30 ml) of maple syrup and scatter them over the unbaked batter just before the tin goes into the oven. Baking at 160°C for 60 minutes caramelizes the maple coating gently — the article says the topping becomes slightly caramelized and adds great crunch against the soft sponge.
I have not tried this recipe yet so cannot comment. Just want confirmation that there is indeed no fat or flour in this recipe as I cannot find either in the list of ingredients. Tasted a cake of this description at a restaurant recently and it was so yummy I thought I would have a go at making it myself.
That’s right – no fat or flour!