Whole Wheat Date & Nut Cake(Eggless)

Baking is definitely therapeutic, if you love to bake you know what I am talking about. I used to bake a lot few years back when gluten was still a part of our diet. It is definitely lot of fun and very easy to bake with flours containing gluten. So I seriously look forward for opportunities to bake with wheat and make it for people who include them. My Parents include wheat in their diet and I baked these cup cakes few months back and sent it to them. This recipe I saw in a magazine  few years back and the recipe was for making the cake in Microwave. This is such a simple recipe and a definite keeper. I have changed the recipe slightly replaced the all purpose flour with whole wheat,  added more dates, as I had ton of them and cut down slightly on the sugar.
Dates are healthy alternate for refined sugar, but still are sugar and in fact very high in sugar. All dried fruits have more sugar than when they are fresh. So this recipe is not recommended for people with diabetes. If you can include gluten and dates in your diet, do give it a try and let me know how you liked it.
Preparation Time – 20 Minutes
Cooking Time – 12-15 Minutes
Makes - 24 mini cup cakes + 4 regular cup cakes
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/4 Cups
Dates - around 25
Raw sugar - 1/2 cup
Brown butter/Clarified butter/Ghee - 1/4 cup
Warm Milk - 1 + 1/4 cup
Salt – pinch
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup
Vinegar -1 Tbsp
Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp (Cardamom + Nutmeg + Cinnamon also will work to give a fruit cake flavor)
Method
1) Soak the dates in warm milk and set this aside for an hour till the dates are soft and tender.
2) Puree the dates in a food processor to a fine a paste.
3) Add salt, baking soda, chopped walnuts  to the whole wheat flour, combine it and set it aside.
4) To the date and milk puree, add the melted clarified butter, raw sugar, vanilla extract and combine well.
5) Preheat a baking oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit and  line a 24 mini cup cake mould  cups and also another 4 cup cake mould with paper cups.
6) Slowly add the combined dry ingredients to the wet ones and gently stir and combine well with a spatula without over mixing. Now add the vinegar and give one last stir.
7). Fill the lined moulds till 3/4th of their height and bake for 12-15 minutes till a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8) Cool in a wire rack and enjoy!!

Posted in: cake,how to make eggless whole wheat date and nut cake,muffin-cake,whole wheat