Cake #31 - Date Cake

Sunday Traditional Cake - Date Cake.

Traditional Finnish Christmas Cake, to be exact. Summer is gone so it is about time to start getting on the Christmas mood! 

Already a week ago you could see Christmas stuff in many shops in Dublin. Brown Thomas had their Christmas Shop open  and Penneys was full of the cutiest Christmas jumpers ever. In my kitchen you can hear Christmas carols already and in October - the latest - I usually start buying stocking stuffers for the family. 

Buying stocking stuffers is a demanding job and you really cannot do it in a hurry if you want them to be a success. For me the stocking stuffers are also a very personal thing. You want to surprise but you also want to be 100% sure the family member loves what they get. Very often the little gifts  I stuff the stockings with may refer to some inside story or they are meant to touch deeper...

During  the past years I have, for example, bought a Pacman mug and socks for The Husband [to remind him in a retro-kind-of-way what a good game is all about];  a jar of caramel sauce for Daughter #1 [who has always dreamed of eating a whole jar by herself and not having to share it with her three siblings as usually], and a set of dice for Son #2 [who used to steal all dice from my Yatzy box]. These gifts may sound dull and ordinary and that is what they would be without the story behind. 

So, Dear Family, it may look to you that I am just baking Christmas cakes and listening to Christmas songs in my kitchen but, in fact, I am also reviewing the past year and hopefully getting some marvellous and witty stocking stuffer ideas!

Date Cake

250 g pitted dates

300 ml water

200 ml caster sugar

200 g butter

2 eggs

350 ml plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla sugar

1. Boil the dates together with sugar and water on low heat until mushy. Add water if needed.

2. Remove from heat and add butter. Mix well so that the butter melts.

3. Add eggs.

4. Add all dry ingredients.

5. Preheat oven to 175C / 350F.

6. Grease and flour a 2-litre bundt cake pan. 

7. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.