Wow I just made this mouth watering date and almond cake! It was so moist I didn’t even worry about putting icing or cream on it. It is perfect just as it is. This amazing cake was cooked with besan (chickpea) flour. It is just the same as using regular flour, but you need to use both baking powder as well as bi carb soda to get it to rise like ordinary flour. Who would have thought of using chickpea flour in a cake? I use this flour regularly, but usually for Indian sweets and savour dishes. It makes the most delicious gravy you’ve ever tasted. But here we go, chickpea flour cake and you can’t even tell the difference.
1-1/2 cups chickpea flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Egg replacer for 2 eggs (available at healthfood stores)
½ cup natural cane sugar (or granulated sweetener of choice)
½ cup coconut cream
1 cup mashed dates (put in a small pot, cover with water and cook for a few minutes until they break down and become as paste)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup chopped toasted almonds (Optional)
- Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Line a 20cm square baking pan. lightly grease or coat oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Make a well in center of flour mixture.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg replacer, sugar, coconut cream, dates, oil, and vanilla until well blended. Add wet mixture to the dry mixture in large bowl, stirring just until moist. Stir in almonds, if using.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan, smoothing top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan 10 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.