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14 ratings

Recipe by Xanthe Clay

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1. Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin (about 8cm deep) with baking parchment. Put dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Heat the butter in a small pan until melted, and stir in the sugar. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Beat in the eggs, ginger and lemon zest. Drain the dates and chop them finely. Scrape them into the pan too, and mix well. Stir in the flour, then apple. Spoon into the cake tin, put the tin on a baking sheet (this stops the base browning too much) then bake for about 1¼ hrs, until well risen. A skewer stuck into the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Leave it to cool in the tin.
3. Break the white chocolate into a non-metallic bowl. Heat in the microwave, on medium setting, in one minute bursts until melted (or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water). Remove the cake from the tin and peel off the paper. Trickle the chocolate over the cake, scatter with the crystallised lemon peel and coffee crystals and leave to set before serving. If well wrapped, the cake keeps for at least a week - it just gets better and better. Or, wrap the cooled cake in several layers of cling film before decorating, and freeze for up to two months.

Per slice

376 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 57g, fat 16 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 2g, salt 0.53 g

'It was an extremely easy cake to make and good for a beginner. A great Sunday teatime treat, it would be lovely slightly warmed with double cream or crème fraîche.'

Latest comments and suggestions

• cass

  09 November 2007

  cass rated and commented on this recipe

  

  everyone loves this cake. EVERYONE.

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• doshis

  14 December 2007

  doshis commented on this recipe

  hi it was lovely cake and im going to make it for christmas as some dont like christmas cake thanks doshis

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• Clare

  01 January 2008

  Clare rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Yummy!!

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• Louise

  14 January 2008

  Louise rated and commented on this recipe

  

  This cake was absolutely delicious. It took a long time to grate all that ginger but it was worth it. My daughter wants me to make it for her next birthday!

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• jax food1458

  12 February 2008

  jax food1458 commented on this recipe

  This was great and sooooooooooo delicious!!!!

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• linkevica

  07 April 2008

  linkevica rated and commented on this recipe

  

  very delicious but it takes some effort.

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• sally

  13 April 2008

  sally rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Really, really good, I am not keen on cake but loved this.

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• Alison

  10 May 2008

  Alison commented on this recipe

  This is an excellent recipe, and really easy to make.

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• Alison

  10 May 2008

  Alison rated this recipe

  

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• stoof

  07 June 2008

  stoof rated this recipe

  

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• stoof

  07 June 2008

  stoof commented on this recipe

  forgot to say - i've never bothered with the topping!

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• Ray

  25 September 2008

  Ray rated this recipe

  

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• Katie Loves Cakes

  11 January 2009

  Katie Loves Cakes rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Yummy moist cake, so moist in fact it was a bit difficult to prize it out of my silicone cake tin! Very nice though, will make again!

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• zanne

  11 January 2009

  zanne commented on this recipe

  I found this recipe when I was looking for a cake that would keep or even improve after a few days. I was visiting my daughter who was researching seabirds on a remote scottish island so the cake had to travel north,then I did not know when I would be able to sail to the island. When I eventually arrived the cake went down a storm with her and her colleagues. So much so they phoned the local fisherman who delivers their supplies to get ingredients so they could make another one, after getting the recipe from me. It has been made many times since and I love it even though I thought that I didn't like ginger cake.

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• shimasue

  14 January 2009

  shimasue rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I used home made ginger paste in this recipe.. it is very moist and so more-ish ... I did not put the topping on as the cake was rich enough without it... beautiful will make this again.

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• UnderstandingMoon

  31 January 2009

  UnderstandingMoon rated and commented on this recipe

  

  As decoration for the cake, almonds go quite nicely too. Superb!

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• J

  30 April 2009

  J commented on this recipe

  Fantastic cake. It was a bit fiddly to make, grating the ginger, chopping the dates etc, but I forgave it everything when I tasted the mixture before baking it! When it was ready I had to hide it because I needed it for two days ahead and people were practically inhaling it from the cooling rack. I made half as much again - 300g dates etc and used a 9" x 13" baking tin. It took just over an hour to cook.

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• Lisa

  29 August 2009

  Lisa rated and commented on this recipe

  

  How good is this cake?! I have made it again this week and in my opinion, it tastes better the longer you leave it! The cake is so moist and light and so delicious! I have never made the topping as the kids love it with custard whilst the grown-ups relish it on its own. Thumbs up from me! :)

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• Carrie

  24 September 2009

  Carrie rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I made this cake for work and it was a big success! And really easy to make too. Yum yum

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• Cloggs

  27 September 2009

  Cloggs rated and commented on this recipe

  

  This is without a doubt my favourite cake.... i use wheat free flour and it works fine... ive made it a few times and everyone whos tried it loves it.

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Ingredients

• 200g dates , stoned
• 200g butter , cut in pieces
• 300g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 eggs
• 50g fresh or frozen root ginger , grated
• 1 lemon , grated zest
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 Bramley apple (about 250g/9oz) peeled and chopped into pea-sized pieces
• 50g white chocolate
• 1 tbsp chopped candied lemon peel, to decorate
• 1 tbsp sugar 'coffee crystals', to decorate

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Difficulty and servings

Cuts into 12 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Ready in 2 hours, plus cooling

Freezable when undecorated

Ingredients

• 200g dates , stoned
• 200g butter , cut in pieces
• 300g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 eggs
• 50g fresh or frozen root ginger , grated
• 1 lemon , grated zest
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 Bramley apple (about 250g/9oz) peeled and chopped into pea-sized pieces
• 50g white chocolate
• 1 tbsp chopped candied lemon peel, to decorate
• 1 tbsp sugar 'coffee crystals', to decorate

Per slice

376 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 57g, fat 16 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 2g, salt 0.53 g

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