Couscous Date Cake

Submitted by Boomette

"A recipe from Ricardo & Friends."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• For the Cake

• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 1⁄2 cups pitted and coarsely chopped medjool dates (about 16 dates)
• 1⁄4 cup melted unsalted butter, lukewarm
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1⁄2 cup uncooked medium couscous
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs

• For the Icing

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 5 teaspoons milk

directions

1. For the Cake: With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter and flour a 20-cm (8-inch) springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, bring the water, dates, butter and baking soda to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate until lukewarm, about 30 minutes.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, couscous and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture turns pale, triples in volume and falls from the beaters in a ribbon, about 10 minutes. Using a spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients then the date mixture.
5. Pour into the springform pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 65 minutes.
6. Let cool. Run the blade of a thin knife around the inside of the pan. Unmould and let cool on a rack.
7. For the Icing: In a bowl, beat the sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Reviews

[Sydney Mike]

My date of preference is the Medjool, so loving your cake was easy! I made only one small addition to the whole thing in adding just enough cinnamon to the icing so we could taste it! Will definitely make this one again! Thanks for sharing the recipe! [Made & reviewed in Everyday Is a Holiday recipe tag]

 

[Annacia]

I gave this a 5 rating for the texture, the great way it turned out after baking and (for me) the originality. Being a spice lover I took the tip from Cookiedog and added cinnamon, ground ginger and some anise seeds. Splenda replaced the sugar and I used whole wheat couscous. I've had people in and out of the house all day long, some of whom I know well enough to offer cake to, and it's already mostly gone. Thanks so much Boomie for something out of the ordinary and yummy.

 

[katew]

I adored this and served it warm with cream. I made it like a slice and served it in squares. The couscous sort of gives the same texture you find in tapioca pudding. It really was a fabulous dessert. I only used 3 eggs as that was all I had in the fridge. Made for the Couscous Challenge ZWT6.

 

[cookiedog]

I love to eat cakes like this for breakfast and I enjoyed the texture the couscous gave to this cake. Mr. Picky Eater wasn't quite sure what to make of it. We both thought it would benefit from a bit of spice such as cinnamon or ginger. It baked up nice and high with an even top using the springform pan! Made by an Unruly Under the Influence, ( I bet this would be just as good with a cocktail as it would with a cup of coffee!) ZWT 6

 

[Darkhunter]

What a great tasting cake! I love dates, so this was right up my alley! The couscous addition was a little strange, but certainly worked for me. Thnx for sharing your recipe, Boomette. Made for the Voracious Vagabonds of ZWT 6.