Date and Walnut cake

This is a cake that my mother has made ever since I was a child during Christmas time. My mother’s recipe makes for a drier cake which even though I like, I prefer my adaptation which includes buttermilk which makes it moist and rich. Personally I love dates, especially Mejool dates, but for this I use the regular kind since Mejools are so expensive and are little drops of heaven just by themselves! It think that maybe it is the mixed spice that gives it a festive flavour but the dates and walnuts work extremely well together giving a contrast in texture in the cake. The dates become soft and melt in the mouth and the walnuts give it some crunch.

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Soak the dates in some recently boiled water to soften for a few minutes
• Beat the butter and sugar until incorporated
• Add the eggs one by one, mix, and add the buttermilk *
• Place the walnuts in a tray and put in the oven which should be warming for about 5 minutes in order to toast slightly and release the nutty flavours
• Mix the flour, mixed spice, salt, and baking powder and sieve into a bowl
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gradually and continuously mising
• Drain the dates and add them together with the walnuts into the cake mix
• Pour into a loaf tin or a 20cm springform tin and place in the oven for 50-60 minutes until you pierce with a skewer and it comes out clean

* Buttermilk is not always available so as an alternative I get 200ml of milk and pour in the juice of half a lemon or 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar. I leave this to stand for a few minutes and the result is a thick creamy mixture that is just like buttermilk.