Chocolate Chip Date Cake

Super moist, sweet, and full of chocolate flavor, this Chocolate Chip Date Cake is a dream come true for chocoholics. The crunchy topping of walnuts and chocolate is the perfect complement.

When a title has chocolate, date, and cake in it, it wins my heart immediately, like, five minutes ago.

I’m so into chocolate cakes. I think it’s the single most repeated recipe idea made in my kitchen. I try them all. And I mean all, weird ingredients included like chocolate potato cake, flourless chocolate white bean cake... you get it.

Well, this one has dates in it. It's simply amazing, soft, tender, moist, different. Let me tell you it's what you always thought a chocolate date cake should be.

Let's start with the star ingredient here, the dates.

What are dates?

They are the fruit of the date palm tree, are native to the Middle East and they date (pun intended?) way back in history, I mean thousands of years.

They are usually dried (though they can be eaten fresh I've never seen one) and are brown and wrinkled and not very appealing when you haven't tried them. But a bite reveals a sweet, soft flesh, unlike any other flavor, with some smoky undertones. It reminds me of maple syrup sometimes, which has that hard-to-explain flavor.

My favorite kind is Mejdool (image above) which are large, soft, fleshy, and just plain wonderful.

They naturally have high sugar content, and that increases when they are dried, which is how most of us eat them. They are used as a sweetener in many vegan recipes for example and are a great source of energy and iron and have many antioxidant benefits. And more.

How to use dates

If you use other varieties of dates, they will probably be drier and maybe smaller. So keep that in mind when chopping them, as they will need hydration in order to moisten the cake well.

It is crucial that you follow the steps in the recipe. They need to be hydrated with baking soda which will neutralize the acids and tannins left in the dates. All these little steps add to the final flavor of the chocolate date cake.

Vintage Kitchen Tip

So, the dates are chopped, and then covered with boiling water and some baking soda (images above).

If you use Medjool dates (which I think you must), they are really big and plump, and chopping them can get tricky. They stick to the knife a lot so they appear more as chunks (image below). Which bothers no one, let me clarify that.

If you manage to chop them smaller, you will get a smoother crumb with a mysterious bite; no one will guess what the secret ingredient is, they will melt together and look like an insanely moist chocolate cake.

If you're considering processing them to a paste, I suggest you do so with the water. Otherwise,  they will stick like crazy and you won't get far. I don't process them, just wanted to clarify that.

The batter looks like a regular chocolate cake with add-ons, but let me tell you the baked product will be nothing like it.

Tips & tricks

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Dates: use Medjool if you can, they are superior for this recipe. You need to chop them and they are sticky. Use a large kitchen knife and don't worry if you have some chunks, they add texture to the cake. If you want them finely chopped you will need patience as you'll constantly have to clean the knife.
• Chocolate: use semi-sweet chips (a good brand) or chop a 60% (or more) chocolate bar. It makes a difference if you use good chocolate.
• Baking: the recipe calls for baking them in two parts, without the topping first and then after adding the walnuts and chips. This will ensure that they don't burn during baking (image below). But you can add the topping from the beginning. I think it's better to do it halfway. But do take into account not opening the oven before 20 minutes have passed; this will ensure the cake has that necessary first oven rise.
• Pan size: you can half the recipe and use a smaller pan. This makes a lot of servings and travels well, so keep that in mind when making desserts for barbecues, picnics and all of those wonderful summer gatherings.

An ordinary-looking square of chocolate cake with some nuts and chips on top.

Oh no. Nothing ordinary about this humble piece of cake. A bit messy looking, but that's on me, not the cake.

What you should know here, is that the combination of chocolate and dates is a complete synergy. So much more than the sum of its parts.

I wonder if this cake could be done in the food processor? Well, there's homework for me. For now, we'll say they are irregular, delicious squares.

The final mixture is a bit strange looking, and not a lick-your-spatula batter.

But when the oven does its magic, the rest will be history. And it tastes so much better the next day.

Variation

You can make cupcakes or individual cakes. Take into account the following:

• Be careful not to over bake them
• Don't add any other topping to serve them. They are fabulous as they are.
• Half the recipe unless you want to make a lot of small cakes. This is a large recipe.

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Adapted from Death by Chocolate, by Marcel Desaulniers