Looking for a recipe for baking from scratch ? Here it is… this snack cake recipe is not only nutritious, but also lactose free and thus does not trouble your guts.

Simple Dates & cashew nut cake (Lactose-free). It’s a lactose free cake recipe that does not miss out on its dairy taste because of the addition of ghee– nutty tasting clarified butter used in Indian cuisine and medicines for centuries.
. Good fats- cashews, avocado oil & ghee are used in perfect proportions providing all the good fats for proper metabolism
. Iron & fiber- Dates are rich in iron and fibers supporting digestion. This recipe also use little brown raw can sugar which also contains iron in it.
. Antioxidants- The perfect combination of dates, cocoa & nuts provide antioxidants that fights the free radicals in our bodies.

How has this recipe been developed?
Simple Dates & cashew nut cake (Lactose-free)Being a lactose-intolerant human, this recipe is a go-to recipe I developed for myself after working with the ratios and proportions of the ingredients following a trial and error method. I had always wanted to find a cake recipe that does not taste like it’s dairy free & oily. This is the result! This cake doesn’t taste oily at all. The ghee used in it is a saver as the combination of ghee & oil gives the cake a buttery goodness!
It’s a healthy recipe developed from scratch and the use of nutritious dry fruits in it tells it all..

What you’ll need-

1/2 cup All purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon Baking powder

1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 pinch nutmeg powder
3 tablespoons brown raw cane sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
Simple Dates & cashew nut cake (Lactose-free)1/4 cup avocado oil
1 teaspoon ghee
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
13-14 pitted & dates chopped
3-4 tablespoons chopped cashews, lightly pan roasted.
8-10 cashew halves

How to make-

Simple Dates & cashew nut cake (Lactose-free)Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
Grease & line a 500 ml square /round cake tin (I used a 6 inches square glass tray).
In a small bowl soak the dates in 1/4 cup boiling water mixed with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Sift together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt & nutmeg and keep aside.
In a larger bowl, start whisking together egg & vinegar till foamy (use an electric egg beater or stand mixer). Continue whisking adding sugar. After sugar is well incorporated, add in oil little by little, along with ghee, without stopping whisking- the mixture should become pale and fluffy.
Next, whisk in the soaked dates (don’t drain) and vanilla.
Then, fold in the flour mix gently and finally the chopped nuts .
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Decorate its top with cashew halves and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the a wooden toothpick inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean.

Notes, tips & Serving suggestions–

Simple Dates & cashew nut cake (Lactose-free). You can use sunflower oil/ canola oil if you can’t get avocado oil.
. Choice of nuts is totally up to you – I chose cashews because I like how well cashews go with dates in this cake. You can even go for a mix of 2 kinds of nuts. eg. cashews & walnuts.
. This cake can be stored for 3-4 weeks in a refrigerator
.Cut into squares and heat it when served with coffee or tea, if not baked on the same day.
. 2-3 tbsps of chopped dark chocolate can be added to the batter before baking, if preferred