syrupy coffee and date upside-down cake
- 18 soft fresh dates (360g), pitted and halved+
- ¼ cup (60ml) hot espresso coffee
- ⅓ cup (80ml) boiling water
- ¼ cup (40g) rapadura sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (200g) wholemeal (whole-wheat) self-raising (self-rising) flour
- ½ cup (60g) almond meal (ground almonds)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (125ml) milk
- ⅓ cup (80ml) grapeseed oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ⅓ cup (55g) rapadura sugar, extra
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a 20cm round cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Arrange the dates, cut-side down, evenly over the base of the tin. Place the coffee, water, sugar and vanilla in a medium jug and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour the coffee mixture over the dates.
- Place the flour, almond meal, eggs, milk, oil, maple syrup and the extra sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the dates. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 30 minutes.
- Invert the cake tin onto a cake stand or plate. Carefully remove the tin and slice to serve. Serves 8–10
+ A high source of soluble dietary fibre, dates are great for digestion. They’re also known to be high in bone-strengthening vitamins. Fresh dates are sold loose with their seeds intact, in supermarkets and greengrocers.
© DONNA HAY GROUP
