Date Cake

This  is a recipe that brings many of my childhood memories.  Helping my Mom to make this cake, my first task I was allowed to do was to take the stones out of the dates and then onto chopping with my Mom overseeing.  It is such a simple recipe that was then and still is now, a great one for beginners to start with.  So if you feel you can’t bake a cake this one will prove you can!

You will need the following

1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence
1 teaspoon of Bicarbonate Soda
1 cup Boiling water
1 1/2 cups Self Raising Flour
1/4 lb Dates or a mix of  Dates and Sultanas
1 Egg
3/4 cup Sugar
A dash of warm milk

Set the oven to 180C, 350F or Gas Mark 4
Butter and flour a 1lb Loaf tin
Take the stones out of the dates and chop
Pour boiling water in a dish and add the butter and dates
Add the Bicarbonate Soda
Add the egg
Add the rest of the ingredients
Mix well and pour into the loaf tin
Bake for about 45 minutes
Turn out onto a wire tray to cool.
Serve sliced spread with butter as my Mom always has.