Today was my name day. Not many people are aware of it. 😊 I do celebrate it, though, if only with something sweet. My friend Sidra sent this recipe over more than two years ago. I’ve only managed to adapt it and try it today. However, better late than never to lick your fingers.

• I used

10 medium-large dates

10 walnut cores

10 teaspoons of peanut butter

100g hazelnut spread [we made some ourselves; to be continued] or melted chocolate

salt without anticaking agents

• Method?

Open the dates and pit them [Kara enjoyed playing with two date pits].

Place the walnut cores inside the dates, one by one.

‘Seal’ them with the peanut butter.

In the end, soak the mini-desserts in the hazelnut spread.

Before placing these treats in a dish and letting the dish sit in the freezer for half an hour, sprinkle some salt on them.

• I hope you loved them!

At times, you’re craving something sweet even if you’re undergoing a detox, you’re fasting, or your diet is vegan. I’ve discovered something tasty, easy to make, and filling!

What did I use?

225g pitted dates

75g Romanian almonds

½ tbsp of cinnamon powder

3 tbsp of cocoa powder

100g coconut flakes

Soak the dates and almonds overnight.

Rinse them and transfer them to a blender with the cinnamon and cocoa powder, pulsing for 1-2 minutes until you get a paste.

Shape 32 bonbons (it helps if your hands are wet). Roll them through the coconut flakes (chop them in the blender if they’re too large).

If I were to link bananas and berries for a cake, I’d choose raspberries. Here’s why, for a vegan banana pound cake, we’ll need—

2 bananas

3 tbsp plant-based butter (e.g. peanut butter)

60ml coconut milk

35g coconut oil

120g flour

4g baking powder

60g dates

15g walnuts

90g raspberries

How to bake it?

Mash the bananas using a fork. Add the plant-based butter, the coconut milk, and the coconut oil.

Slowly mix in the flour and the baking powder. Clean the dates and walnuts and cut (break) them into pieces.

Add the raspberries last because they're so fragile – either fresh or defrosted. Moreover, they tend to fall to the bottom of the bakes. The pound cake will also deflate when you remove it from the oven.

First of all, though, you should bake it: 35 minutes in the preheated oven, at 180⁰C, in a pound cake baking pan.

It’s delicious and perfect for breakfast!

 

My Dad loves dates, too, so I wanted to surprise him—

For the batter, you’ll need—

170g pitted dates

200ml (hot) water

a teaspoon of baking powder

*

2 eggs

100g sugar

150g flour

a pinch of salt

a teaspoon of (ground) cinnamon

a teaspoon of (ground) coffee

a teaspoon of baking powder

80g sour cream

70g (melted) butter

First off, place the dates in a bowl. Pour hot water over them. Mix in the baking powder and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Then, mix the eggs and the sugar until fluffy.

Add the flour, salt, plus the grounded cinnamon and coffee, and the baking powder.

After folding them in, add the date, baking powder, and water mixture and keep mixing. In the end, add the sour cream and the melted butter.

Pour the batter into a round mould (21 cm); mine is made of silicone, so I won’t butter and flour it. If necessary in your case, do it.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven, at 175⁰C, for 30 minutes.

When there are 10 minutes left, start making the caramel sauce, using half of the ingredients listed in this recipe, but with the same technique—

100g sugar

a pinch of salt

30ml water

40g sour cream  

2 tbsp butter

In the end, makes holes in the cake as soon as you take it out of the oven. Pour the caramel sauce over it.

Let it cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then for 30 minutes more in the fridge.

You’ll be surprised by the taste and by... how easily you’ll finish one slice!