So I’ve made my first cake of year. It’s a ginger and date cake. It’s from ‘The Baking Book’ by Honey & Co. I bought this book at the end of January, when I was in their Honey and Spice store on Warren Street. They had samples of this cake on the counter (an excellent marketing strategy), and it was so nice, that I had to have the recipe. Conveniently of course the recipe book was nicely packaged on one of the shelves.

I’ve not had time until now to really look through the book and see what else it has to offer. So, I did that yesterday. It was a cold and miserable Saturday afternoon, but in my house it was cozy and warm. I sat in one of an armchairs by my living room window and read the book from cover to cover. I learned a few new baking strategies. I considered the benefits of making dough ahead of time to make some of their interesting looking creations (Fitzrovia bun, I’m coming for you!). Then I wrote down the names of five cakes I want to make over the next few months:

🍰 Ginger and date cake.

🍰 Fig, orange & walnut loaf.

🍰 Vegan loaf cake.

🍰 Spiced chocolate & prune cakes.

🍰 Peach, vanilla & fennel seed mini loaves.

This ginger and date cake, first on the list and out of the oven.

It was pure pleasure to make. It took me back to the delight of making the luscious vegan gingerbread by Nigella. The smells in the kitchen were just heavenly and the perfect end to quiet weekend. The cake itself? It is delicious and very sweet! Very sweet! For the fact that it as my first time making it, I didn’t reduce the sugar content. I am not sure what I will do with future versions of this cake. However, this one will, I am certain, go down a treat with a cute little black coffee sans sugar. I can see myself enjoying this for an indulgent breakfast or a much needed afternoon snack when working from home. Let’s see how it goes…

If you would like to make this cake, here’s how:

Ingredients

• 150g/ml double cream
• 150g date molasses (or black treacle)
• 50g unsalted butter
• 100g dark brown soft sugar
• 200g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 130g pitted dates, chopped
• 50g crystallised ginger, chopped, plus more to garnish (if you like)
• 1 egg

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Butter a 1 kg (2 lb) loaf tin and line with a sheet of baking parchment.

Warm the cream, date molasses, butter and sugar together in a large saucepan until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is just starting to boil. Remove the heat and stir in the flower, spices and salt. Mix in the chopped dates and ginger, then add the egg and combine thoroughly before transferring the batter to the lined tin.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes, then turn the tin around for an even bake and leave for another 30 minutes. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush it generously with the extra date molasses (if using) and leave to cool in the tin.

Chop up some more crystallised ginger, toss it in caster sugar and sprinkle the pieces all over the sticky top.

This is a cake that improves with age (within reason), so it is even better the day after baking, and last well for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.

Reference: The Baking Book by Honey & Co. Pages 124 – 125.