Chocolate Orange Date Cake

This vegan chocolate orange date cake is soft with a glossy chocolate icing and a sweet orangey flavour courtesy of a bar of orange-infused chocolate.

Dates have a magical way about them when it comes to chocolate cake – the lightness of the sponge belies the fact that its main ingredient is actually healthy, high fibre dates.

Using dark chocolate infused with orange oil (there are numerous dairy-free varieties around) in both the cake and the icing results in a really lovely mild chocolate orange flavour throughout. The candied orange peel is optional, but adds interest to the texture.

It’s such a soft cake that you might want to chill it a bit before cutting if you prefer neat squares – I didn’t bother to chill the pictured cake and you can see how soft it was in a warm kitchen on a summer’s day.

Chocolate Orange Date Cake…

Ingredients

• 150 g dates
• 50 g coconut oil
• 90 g unrefined brown sugar
• 140 g white/unbleached self-raising flour
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 40 g dark orange chocolate
• 40 g chopped candied orange peel (optional)

for the icing

• 60 g dark orange chocolate
• 20 g soft vegan margarine
• 2 tbsp oat or other non-dairy milk
• 100 g icing (confectioners’) sugar

method

1. Place the dates in a bowl (or directly into the cup of a blender) and cover with 180 ml of boiling water. Set aside to cool for a while.
2. Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and lightly oil/line the base of a 9″ square or similar-sized tin.
3. Chop the 40g of chocolate and the peel, if not already chopped, and set aside.
4. Once the dates have cooled a bit, blend them to form a smooth paste.
5. Transfer the date paste to a bowl and add the coconut oil (which will melt) and the sugar, and stir well to combine.
6. Sift the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into the date mixture and stir to combine, adding the chopped chocolate and orange peel at the last minute. Don’t over stir or the chocolate might melt and disappear into the cake. The mixture should be close to dropping consistency – add another spoonful or two of water if it feels very thick.
7. Transfer the mixture to a pan and level the top before baking for around 25 minutes until it is well risen and quite firm in the centre.
8. Leave the cake to cool a little before icing, but it can still be warm.
9. To make the icing, simply melt the chocolate together with the margarine in the microwave or a double boiler. If you’re using a microwave, keep an eye on it and remove from the heat as soon as it is melted. Stir the icing sugar and oat milk into the melted chocolate mixture to create a thick glossy icing. If you want a super-smooth finish, sift the icing sugar first.
10. Spread the icing over the cake immediately.
11. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting (and chill it a bit if you would like sharp edges).

If you would like to receive e-mail alerts when new recipes are published, please see my contact page.