Date Walnut Cake

My hubby brought home a carton of dates a month ago. Not knowing what to do with them except using them in tamarind date chutney or making Khejur Pithas or Date dumplings, I most of the time chewed them in the morning with a glass of soy milk at breakfast. Soon I grew bored of this monotonous breakfast with dates and soy milk every day, so I planned to use them in my cakes. I scoured the cyber world looking for a simple yet scrumptious date cake, but none suited my fancy 100%. So I came out with my own recipe, the type that would work amazingly in satisfying the palate of my family and friends.
 

This cake turned out to be truly decadent, a pleasure to be had in a party with guests showering you with compliments on your culinary prowess.

Ingredients:                                      Cooking time: 1 hr 20 minutes ü  30 dates ü  2 cups all-purpose flour ü  2 eggs ü  1 cup brown sugar ü  1 1/2 cups milk ü  1/2 cup butter ü  1 tsp baking soda ü  1 tsp baking powder ü  1/4 cup walnuts For Icing: ü  1 egg white ü  1 cup powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar ü  1/4 cup heavy cream Method: 1) Heat milk and dates together in a saucepan for 15-20 minutes.  Cool down the mixture. Then remove the seeds and grind the dates together with the milk they were soaked in, into a fine paste. 2) In a mixing bowl, using an electric beater, beat eggs, butter and date paste into smooth mixture. Add sugar and whip again till combined. 3) Add flour, baking soda and baking powder into the egg-date mixture and using a spatula, mix the ingredients nicely until no speck of flour is in sight. Fold in the walnuts. 4) Preheat an oven to 375°F/ 190°C. Grease a baking pan with butter and flour. Spread the cake batter across the baking pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spatula. 5) Bake for about 35-40 minutes till a toothpick inserted at the centre comes out clean. 6) For the icing, beat the ingredients mentioned in a mixing bowl till light and fluffy. Dab the icing across the cake with a frosting spreader or using an icing tube, you may choose to decorate the cake as I did.