Carrot and Dates Cake

November 3, 2017

You have to try this Carrot and Dates Cake – super moist, the texture is perfect, not too sweet. Of course, it is super delicious! The addition of caramel in the cake makes this cake extraordinary.

I have seen so many recipes that use carrots for baking. The reviews are all good when it comes to the texture and how moist the baked good is. I didn’t try and I never thought of trying – maybe I don’t trust myself enough to like such thing.

Yes, it took me a long time to try it and I am insane for not trying sooner.

Dates happened – dates that need to be used. Again.

I was looking for ways on how to use up my remaining dates and I bumped into this recipe. The first issue was the use of carrots. I was like ‘I am not going to put carrots in my cake! Period!‘ Then I found something really interesting – the use of caramel in the cake. So I set aside my carrot issues and here is it…

When I took the first bite, I asked myself, ‘Where have you been all this time and it took you too long to bake with carrots??‘ I didn’t have the answer. Ahhh, the regrets!

The cake was so moist. The texture was perfect, especially the edges. Ahhh, I know you’d argue who gets the edges. Well, I got the other end. The cake was insanely good – not too sweet. Overall, the cake was beyond perfection!

One challenge you’ll face? You’ll have second thoughts if you’ll share or not!

January 30, 2020

I’ve updated the recipe below by adding baking powder just to make the cake “taller” (sorry, don’t know the right term, lolz). I also lessened the sugar because I used very sweet dates. I tested the recipe with baking powder and less sugar several times before deciding that it’s also as good as the one without baking soda, just the new one looks bigger (??). The new version though is darker in color – maybe it has something to do with the caramel. Anyway, it’s only the color – the taste is amazing. 

And I’ve shared a video on my YouTube channel if you’d like to check it out. 

Carrot and Dates Cake

Ingredients

For the caramel:

  • ½ (115g) cup white sugar
  • ¼ (60ml) cup hot water

For the cake:

  • 1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder (added ingredient on Jan . 30, 2020, optional) 
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (about 85g) pitted & chopped dates 
  • ¾ cup (about 120g) toasted and chopped cashews (or walnuts)
  • ¾ cup canola oil (or any light-tasting oil)
  • 2/3 cup (about 140g) white sugar (you can use 3/4 cup if your dates are not too sweet)
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (about 135g) grated carrots 
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

For the caramel:

  1. In a dry thick bottomed pan, add in sugar and melt sugar over medium heat, swirling the pan if necessary to melt the sugar evenly.
  2. When the sugar is dark amber in color, add in hot water. Be careful as it will bubble up.
  3. Remove from the pan from the heat once the caramel is ready and set aside to cool down.

For the cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
  3. In another bowl, add in your chopped dates plus toasted and chopped cashews. Add about a tbsp or two of the flour mixture and coat them. This will prevent the dates and nuts from sticking to the bottom. Set aside.
  4. Also, in another bowl, mix very well eggs, sugar, oil, cooled caramel and vanilla.
  5. Add in grated carrots and mix well.
  6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, making sure not to overmix.
  7. Then add the flour-coated dates and nuts. Mix until just combined.
  8. Pour this batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The toothpick may come out wet from the oil. 
  9. Let cool completely before removing from the pan.
  10. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

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