Date and Ginger Cake

I’m not a baker. I love to be in the kitchen, as I’m sure you know, cooking is my favourite thing to do. But when it comes to the precision and artistry of baking, I tend to leave that to my mother. So please excuse this rustic cake, but I hope the taste will help you forgive me. It’s a simple mixture, featuring honey and spices to create a surprisingly moist cake, which can be a struggle with gluten free, let alone a gluten free AND dairy free cake. It’s a perfect slice to have with your afternoon cup of tea, as it’s around 200kcal a piece.

Date and Ginger Cake

Serves 8

Preheat your oven to 170C. Grease a silicone cake tin with coconut oil.

To a large bowl, add 200g rice flour, 2tsp gluten free baking powder, 1tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1tsp ground ginger and 1/2tsp ground cinnamon. Stir to combine and set aside.

To a small saucepan, add 50g culinary coconut oil, 2tbsp runny honey and 25g coconut sugar. Melt on a low heat and stir until combined. Add the chopped dates and set aside to cool.

To a small bowl, crack in the egg. Remove any tiny pieces of shell that have escaped – or is it just me who does this? I’m such an amateur! Add a dash of vanilla extract and 100ml almond milk and beat together.

Move the flour mix to the middle of the bowl, so it acts as a divider. Add your egg mixture to one side, and the date mixture to the other side. Now stir until fully combined, but don’t overmix, as this can make your cake tough (great tip mum!). You might need to add a splash more almond milk to get a thick batter consistency.

Spread into the cake tin and bake in the middle of your oven for 15 minutes. Check it is cooked by inserting a skewer and make sure it comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out and cutting into 8 pieces.

I think I’m starting to get into baking. All the butter and sugar used to put me off; it seemed like a lot of work for calories I didn’t even need. But if I can make my own afternoon snacks that are filled with anti-inflammatory ingredients like honey and ginger, you can sign me up! Do you like to bake? What’s your favourite thing to bake? Come and tell me all about it over on Instagram.