Dates Cake is a soft, moist cake made by baking a blend of flour, dates, sugar, milk, oil, rising agents and vanilla extract. This cake can be modified to use whole wheat flour and it works great too. It is so easy that even beginners in baking can try. Learn to make Eggless Dates Cake with step by step pictures and video.
Dates Cake is one of the few cakes I tried first in my oven when I got it and it turned out to be super hit. The natural sweetness and flavor from dates is the highlight of this recipe. Dates also adds a beautiful texture and taste to the cake. Do try this cake and enjoy!
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About Dates Cake
Dates Cake is a moist and delicious cake that is very easy to bake. Dates cake is made using dates, flour, leavening agents, sweetener, milk, oil and vanilla extract. This is a no fail mess free cake as it is very easy to put together and the cake comes out so good.
Years ago when I got my first oven, dates cake was one of the first few cakes that I baked. So dates cake has always a special place in my baking experience. I baked this cake many times, shared with friends and family only to get appreciations and a request to bring it again and of course to share the recipe.
The cake is slightly moist, very soft and yummy. The dates flavor in cakes is the best I would say. Hubby who doesn’t like dates also loved this cake too. Have I tempted you enough to try this cake?! Trust me, try it and then come share your feedback with me.
Dates Cake Video
Why you will love this recipe?
- Easy and quick to make.
- No fail recipe.
- Healthy and delicious.
- Very versatile.
- Great for gifting.
Dates Cake Ingredients
- Flour – I have tried this cake both with all purpose flour(maida) and also with wheat flour, it comes out super good.
- Dates – Use black de seeded dates, soak it in milk, grind it to a fine paste and use it.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar works best for this recipe.
- Oil – Any flavorless oil can be used.
- Milk – Use boiled cooled warm milk.
- Leavening agents – Both baking powder and baking soda is used as a rising agent.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract is option but adds a mild flavor to the cake.
- Nuts – Chopped walnuts or almonds can be used for this cake.
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How to make Dates Cake Step by Step
1.First prepare a 8 inch X 4 inch loaf tin. Lay parchment paper, brush it with oil and set aside.
2.To a bowl add 15 medium sized dates add 3/4 cup milk, soak for minimum 30 minutes.
3.Grind it to a fine puree. Set aside.
5.To a bowl add 1 and 1/3 cups flour along with 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
6.Whisk it well and set aside.
7.Preheat oven at 180 DEG C for 10 minutes. To a mixing bowl add 3/4 cup milk along with 1/3 cup oil, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
8.Add prepared dates puree.
9.Whisk it well.
10.Add in flour mixture.
11.Fold in gently, do not over mix.
12.You can add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to the batter if you prefer. Once combined the cake batter is ready.
13.Transfer the cake batter to prepared cake tin.
14.Top it with walnuts.
15.Bake in preheated oven at 180 DEG C for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
16.Cool down the cake in tin for 10 minutes then demold. Cool down completely then slice and serve.
17.Soft and delicious dates cake is ready!
Expert Tips
- I used black dates so soaking for 30 minutes is enough if you use brown dates soak for 1 hour. Brown dates is little harder so soaking time must be increased.
- Grinding the dates paste coarse is also ok – it depends on how you like your dates in your cake.
- If you want to use whole wheat flour then use 1 and 1/4 cups flour and the remaining ingredients can be the same.
- The color of the cake purely depends on the dates used.
- If the recipe calls for baking soda or baking powder , mix it well with flour well so that the distribution is even.
- Milk added should be boiled and cooled down.
- Add chopped walnuts to the batter if you like.
Serving and Storage
Dates cake is great on its own but you can serve them with a dollop of whipped cream. It stays good for 1 day in room temperature and in fridge for 2-3 days. Microwave to warm it and serve.
If you have any more questions about this Dates Cake Recipe do mail me at [email protected]. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube and Twitter .
Tried this Dates Cake Recipe? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.
📖 Recipe Card
Dates Cake Recipe | Eggless Dates Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1and 1/3 cups flour (maida)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For dates puree
- 15 medium sized dates (seeds removed)
- 3/4 cup milk
Instructions
- First prepare a 8 inch X 4 inch loaf tin. Lay parchment paper, brush it with oil and set aside.
- To a bowl add 15 medium sized dates add 3/4 cup milk, soak for minimum 30 minutes.
- Grind it to a fine puree. Set aside.
- To a bowl add 1 and 1/3 cups flour along with 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
- Whisk it well and set aside.
- Preheat oven at 180 DEG C for 10 minutes. To a mixing bowl add 3/4 cup milk along with 1/3 cup oil, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Add prepared dates puree.
- Whisk it well.
- Add in flour mixture.
- Fold in gently, do not over mix.
- You can add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to the batter if you prefer. Once combined the cake batter is ready.
- Transfer the cake batter to prepared cake tin.
- Top it with walnuts.
- Bake in preheated oven at 180 DEG C for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool down the cake in tin for 10 minutes then demold. Cool down completely then slice and serve.
- Soft and delicious dates cake is ready!
Video
Notes
- I used black dates so soaking for 30 minutes is enough if you use brown dates soak for 1 hour. Brown dates is little harder so soaking time must be increased.
- Grinding the dates paste coarse is also ok – it depends on how you like your dates in your cake.
- If you want to use whole wheat flour then use 1 and 1/4 cups flour and the remaining ingredients can be the same.
- The color of the cake purely depends on the dates used.
- If the recipe calls for baking soda or baking powder , mix it well with flour well so that the distribution is even.
- Milk added should be boiled and cooled down.
jeyashrisuresh
I love to bake this and I Made this many times too. Wonderful clicks
Reshmi Mahesh
Dates cake looks delicious….Love the clicks..
Vardhini
Yummy looking cake and eggless too.
Gayathri NG
Wow super cute dates cake, looks moist n soft dear!!
Sangeetha Nambi
Bookmarked !
Aarthi
aha…this is the recipe i am looking for.will try it this weekend…Cake looks so moist.can we add some chopped dates in this..
Robert Fisner
You need to pass an interview to get into preschool in India now? LOL. Anyway congrats to your little one.
That is a gorgeous cake and I know how good this one tastes. It is a regular one in my home too.
Pavithra
Sweet post for a sweetie pie.. nice one sharmi.
zareena
mmmmm…. I have dates in my refrigerator. I am sure gonna try this out.
Prathibha
Nice cake..I thought u had already posted this..
Mitha
thank you
this is the recipe which I mailed and asked u before!!
congrats to Mittukutty !!
faseela
lovely cake…….dates flavr will b awesome…bookmarked
Chandrani
Wow..soft and spongy cake. Perfect cake, Sharmilee..
Chitra
Nice , healthy cake..
Raji
Congrats..I know getting admission in a good school is far more difficult than clearing even the toughest entrance exams 🙂
And the cake looks perfect to celebrate the occasion. I too have made this cake before but ended up in a super good tasting but sticky cake. Time to try this again.
Prathima Rao
The cake is so soft & moist and absolutely yummmmm!!! One of my fav 😉
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner
Priya Hari
Is 1 cup 200 or 250 gms? I appreciate your quick response.. Thanks
Sharmilee! :)
@Priya Hari : My 1 cup measures 250ml which is 150gms.
Maayeka
very soft ,spongy and healthy cake…thanks for sharing..
Nalini's Kitchen
Wow!!Cake looks so spongy and soft and a low calorie version,the clicks are beautiful..
Cilantro
I wish you to have good news always so that we could indulge in sweet treats like these…
Wishing you a very happy New Year to you & your family!
Suja
Lovely and delicious cake..nice one dear
Laavanya
Congrats to your daughter!
I love these ckaes from shilpa's blog too.
Sobha Shyam
so perfect and delicious cake, eggless and butterless makes it more interesting..
mimi
This date cake looks lovely. I think it's the perfect treat for New Year's dinner. I love dates, they are so sweet. I can never eat too many without feeling like my teeth will rot. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Is there any glaze for it?
Have a happy new year??
Shabitha Karthikeyan
Cutie surely needs a treat !!! Cake looks super moist and yummy…
divya
Yum yum,mouthwatering here..
Amina Khaleel
wow… cake looks so delicious… and low fat as well… thanks for sharing the recipe… wish you a very happy new year..
uma shankar
Will surely try!
Poonam Borkar
dates cake looks perfect..will give it a try..thanks for sharing 🙂
Kalpana Sareesh
Sharmi this is super n must try.. i did make ur moist chocolate cake and black forest trifle it came out so so awesome.. but see before i could click them all went into tummies.. my hubbies frnds had come home n they loved it so much n they took some leftovers to thr families too. will be posting it next time i make them.. n see all these credit def goes to u .. i was always worried if i would succeed in baking but ur pics n recipes gave me confidence.. n esp they r eggless ..thanks a ton .. love n hugs to u dear..
Nisa Homey
This looks heaven sharmi, I must try it as soon as I can…so soft and spongy…happy new year dear..congrats to ur kiddo…
Priya
Beautifull cake,well done.
Gayathri Kumar
Cake looks so soft and moist…
Anonymous
Bookmark ! Can't wait to try it. 🙂
maha
LOOKING VERY SOFT N TASTY..
HAPPY NEW YEAR……
Ananda Rajashekar
I adore oil in cake so light! this is just great….Happy New year!!
Anonymous
Hi.. Happy new yr … i want to make this cake in microwave its trio convention so plz let me know the procedure for the same. thanks Lakshmi
Sharmilee! :)
@Anonymous : Yes if its microwave with convection mode then yes you can follow the same and procedure to bake this cake. Be careful in the timing alone as it varies for each oven.
Mitha
hi sharmi i tried this cake yesterday. turned out so yummy.thanks a lot for this recipe .
by the way the edges of my cake turned very crisp and hard. what could be the reasons. i baked it in a square pan.
everytime i bake my cakes, the sides turn so hard and crisp and I have to cut the edges off.
Sharmilee! :)
Oh thats great to hear mitha..But I am not sure why your cake turns crispy at the ends alone…depends on oven or temperature setting I guess..Sorry couldnt help u in this regard
Anonymous
Thanks Sharmilee, I tried this and it came out very nice. But pls clarify 2 things: does the 3/4 cup milk include the milk reqd for soaking the dates? I felt the batter was a little dry, so added another 1/4 cup milk. Secondly, when I tested in 20 mins itself, the knife came out clean, so I took out the cake. I felt the middle portion was a little underdone with a lighter colour, though no one else felt so and the cake was finished in minutes. Thanks in advance for your clarifications.
Sharmilee! :)
@Anonymous : Yes the 3/4 cup is inclusive of the dates soaking….And timing sure differs from oven to oven but I feel 20mins is too early and that might be the reason for the middle portion a bit uncooked.
Indu
Hi!
Am sure gonna try this cake..before that wanted to ask if 180degrees s alright?guess my oven does nt have 176 or probably i dint know how to set it??i hv a new convection oven..the new ones comin now a days should hv this option of adjustin temp between whole nos right?
Sharmilee! :)
@Indu : Yes 180 shouldnt be a problem….No issues carry on. Mine is an OTG so can set temperatures inbetween but only manually.
Anonymous
Hi,
Nice looking cake..one question though..can we use lion date syrup instead of dates…
Aruna
Sharmilee! :)
@Anon : You can but chopped dates is recommended for better texture and taste
Siva
The cake is toooo gud. I made it and my 4 yr old son jus loves it.
Thankyou.
Megha
Tried it today and taste and texture were really good. Thanks a lot Sharmi.. But the cake broke off as I took it off the cake pan… can you pl suggest where I might have gone wrong!
Sharmilee! :)
@Megha: Guess the softening agent must have been more or the consistency would have been missed….
sree
hi sharmi.. tried the cake now.. woww.. looking good, it came out with good texture. this is for my hubby's birthday. a surprise cake for him. loads of thanks. i fell in love with ur cake recipes. thank u so muchh.
shalu
made this cake last week.it was really v tasty and yummy.got over thtr day itself.thanks a lot sharmi
Kalyani Chandar
Hello Sharmi. Me along with my mom-in-law tried this recipe and it turned out awesome and stayed so soft even after 2 days. This is a great recipe without egg and butter making it very light. We just did a small variation of adding 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract as well.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Unknown
Hi Sharmi, Can u tell me the soaking time of the cake? Thanks
Sharmilee! :)
@Unknown : I dont get you what soaking time?
Shipra Chaudhri
hi sharmi!
as with u, this cake will always be special to me as it was my first bake too when i was about 16 years old! yummy cake, increased my love for baking 🙂
can u plz suggest what type of icing can go with this cake? normal vanilla icing or some other? i tried to google it but cudnt find a satisfactory answer… 🙁
Sharmilee! :)
@Shipra : Thats good to hear….I would suggest a mild icing like plain vanilla fresh cream icing!
Geetanjali
this was my first baking experiment with my new oven..and it turned out great..thanks for the perfect recipe !
sharikahline
Found your recipe just last week and I tried them immediately. It turned out to be a hit! My cake turned out much darker brown that yours, I am guessing it's because of the dates I used.
Thanks for sharing!
Amruta
hello Sharmilee,
I tried out this recipe today, it came out very nice. kids and hubby enjoyed it. It is the first time my cake has come out so moist. thanks for the recipe
thanks
– amruta
Uma
Can I use butter instead of oil in this recipe. If yes, then how much butter can I add.
Sharmilee! :)
I am really not sure on the butter substitute may be you can try with 1/2 cup of butter and see
sujatha umesh
hello sharmi…..can i use coconut oil in this recipe???
Sharmilee! :)
You can try and see not sure of the taste…
Sajani Prashanth
Hi sharmi, I tried this cake and it turned out to be superhit. thank you so much for posting this recipe. trying out all ur posts one by one.
sujatha umesh
hello sharmi….i tried out this cake today….used refined oil itself…it came out super….thanks for posting this simple cake without eggs…..ur blog is a great encouragement for people like me who do not use eggs but simply luv baking…..thanks so much….:) 🙂 🙂
Mahesh
Hi sharmi, love your page, BTW are you sure its called Dates cake? shouldn't it be Date cake, like Raisin Cake, just a thought.
Sharmilee! :)
Yes it is date cake only but I used dates to make it search friendly 🙂
faaby
hi sharmee
this seems yum n healthy too 🙂
wud love to try it….gotta doubt…is it okay in here to use baking powder instead f baking soda???
hopin to hear from u soon….i crave making it 🙂
tom alberti
Hello Sharmee.
All your recipes look SOOO GOOD!
Is it possible for you to name ingredients by their latin/western names as well and maybe add an option for a common ingredient as a substitute?
It's quite difficult to find those exotic ingredients in the place where I live.
I LOVE indian cooking, yet not that familiar with the language..
Maybe you can create in your site an "Indian Ingredients Dictionary" page, with Latin names and common substitutions.
That could be great for all Indian Cuisine fans.
Thanks a lot.
Tom [Israel]
atisha manoj
If I do not want to put baking soda can it be still made
SHARMILEE J
May be you should any other substitute for baking soda but am not sure about it!
Veena Vathi
i tried this its really too good n very softy n tasty
kiran kamat
I tried your recipe turned out really good made in muffin cups for my daughter n she gave me a thumbs up so thanks
althaf shafna
hi…. cn i use butter instead of oil???????
SHARMILEE J
Yes you can….
JeyKayTee
Hi sharmi !! I tried your recipe and the cake came out well except that there was a huge crack in the centre. What could have gone wrong ?? I tried your low fat version by reducing the oil and increasing the milk . FYI I baked it in a round pan. Do you think that was the reason ??
SHARMILEE J
I have had cracks in the middle too(in other cakes though not for dates cake) but as far as the cake is baked inside with the correct texture then you need not worry……Usually cakes crack when it is a bit dry so you can adjust the liquid ingredients accordingly……Hope this helps!!
ilearner
You have mentioned that u halved the recipe so did u reduced the baking time? If so how long it was?
SHARMILEE J
Mine was done in 30mins….it depends
ilearner
Hi, tried today baked for 35 mins and when checked using knife it came out clean.
But inside it was moist what could be the reason?
And my cake had a crack in the center and top of the cake was little hard and burnt.so what would be the reason?
Thanks for any reply.
SHARMILEE J
If the cake cracks out then the batter must be dry and that yields harder cakes…..
ilearner
When checked the cake using knife , it came out clean but it was moist inside also the cake got cracked in the middle.taste was good but inside was moist.
Pls reply how can I overcome this?because I am going to make it again today to get it right.
Pls clarify…
SHARMILEE J
I am really not sure of the issue….did you bake it for the mentioned timing?
ilearner
First 30 min , then 5 min as my knife was not came out clean. After this time it was clean.so totally baked for 36 min
Neha Singhvi
Hi, i plan to double the recipe( taking 2 cups of flour). Should I decrease temperature to 325 F for 1 hr and 15 min bake time or keep the tem same
SHARMILEE J
I don't think we need to decrease the temperature just increase the timing alone…..
leo
Hai …it came out nicely. …thank u
appy
Hello sharmii… i made dis cake 2 times it was very soft n yummy my family loved it… bt in my oven i baked at same temp as u mentioned in recipe bt my top part n edges of the cake cookd faster n finally it gives burnt smell n hard in only edges of the cake …in that case can i reduce the temp of the oven …if yes then at what temp… because tomrrw i want to bake again …plz help me on this n i hope u will…
.thank u
SHARMILEE J
You can try reducing the baking time, please don't reduce the temperature
preetha
Tried yesterday and came out well. Everybody at home enjoyed and thank you so much for the recipe
Mekala
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. My grand daughter relished it. She's a toddler and I am happy I gave her something nutritious and safe.
Jogie Sankar
Hi sharmi dha cake came out well….but dha smell of dha cake s nt prefered by my family dha feel it awkward…bt dey love dha taste…can i add vanilla essence to get rid of dha smell
SHARMILEE J
I am not sure whether dates and vanilla essence will go well, you can try and see
Archana Shekar
Can I cook in microwave oven if you can share some microwave recipes like pizza muffins cake .
SHARMILEE J
You can bake it in microwave if you have convection mode in ur oven…I don't use microwave so that justifies the absence of microwave recipes here
valli sathappan
Wow.. A wonderful cake again.. The cake came out very well.. And I did it thrice in a week out of requests ?
Arati Mahuli
Wow…yummy cake…I made it for my sister's birthday and everyone just loved it…thank you
sucheta dalvi
Dear Sharmi, I participated in the Veg Cake making competition in my colony, and used this recipe, since it being a competition I could not taste the the cake myself, but the taste and texture, sponginess of the cake was perfect as said by judges and the kids and their mothers liked it very much and finished it all after the judges were gone, this was the biggest prize to me though I didn't win any prize. Thank you very much for this recipe.
Juby
Made this today for my caroling group …came out excellent… made it into cupcakes….moist and delicious. .tHanks for the recope
Unknown
This recipe is for 1kg or 500gm cake?
I have 1kg baking tray so wanted to know.
SHARMILEE J
I am not sure but should be less than 500gms I think, as my tin is small about 4X4 inches
Susmitha C.G
Thanks a lot for the recipe, my first baked cake turned out well, should we use any butter paper on top for even cooking as mine didn't cook completely at the bottom even after the upper 3/4 was well cooked. Thanks again for the recipe as it was really tasty.
m.kavitha mahendra
hi, i bake this cake in my otg ,the taste is good but it is sticky inside the cake,i bake it for 40 min.please tell me the fault i made made.
SHARMILEE J
Not really sure of the reason, was the texture of the cake like the one shown in the pics?
Anuradha
Hi Sharmilee,
Fantastic recipe. The cake came out absolutely super soft & moist. Thanks a lot for the recipe. Totally loved it.
This is the first time I’m making cake recipes from your site. I have tried a lot of your north indian graves. They come out very well each time.
Anuradha
How long does this cake stay outside without refrigeration?
Sharmilee J
for a day or 2
Deepali
Hi Sharmi
Great recipes.. can you please tell me if atta/ wheat flour can be used instead of maida and how much.
Thanks
Sharmilee J
You can try with the same measure
CHERUBA
MY ANYDAY GO TO RECIPE. THIS ONE IS SO SIMPLE YET SO FLAVOURSOME. HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING YOU FOR ALMOST 8 YEARS NOW. THANK YOU
Akanksha
I have made this cake countless times and it’s always a hit! Everybody who has had it loves it! So thanks for posting this recipe! It’s lovely.
Pooja
Yummmyy!!! I love cakes and this is perfectly soft, moist and delicious … 😋 Thanks for sharing!!?