Apple Date Cake

Apple Date Cake

This is a lovely moist delicious unfussy cake - perfect to whip together on one of these chilly winter mornings.

• 1/2 cup dates, pitted

• 1/2 cup orange juice or apple cider

• 1 cup whole grain spelt flour

• 1 cup white spelt or all purpose flour

• 1 cup coconut palm sugar

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

• 1/2 tsp fine ground sea salt

• 4 cups slightly tart apples: peeled, cored and roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter or coconut oil, cooled

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 TBS raw sugar

Preheat oven to 325F

In a small bowl, add the pitted dates and cover with orange juice or apple cider. Soak until date are soft then puree everything in small blender, food processor or mash until a smooth paste.

Butter the baking vessel of your choice and set aside.

Into a medium bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cooled melted butter, eggs, vanilla and date puree. Slowly add the flour mixture into the egg mixture - mixing until everything is combine. The batter will be a very  thick batter so be sure to blend it well. Mix in the chopped apples. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and evenly scatter the top with the raw sugar. 

Bake on a the middle rack of the oven for about 50 minutes. Test the middle of the cake with a thin knife to see if it comes out clean. If it’s still a bit gooey, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. You'll know when it's done. It will be a nice dark tan color and will spring back to a light touch.

Remove from oven, let cool a bit. Then add a dusting of powdered sugar to the cake if you like. Or not. This is delicious hot, warm or cold. Top with something creamy or simply eat as is. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days then in the fridge for a few more.