Michelle's Freefrom Ginger and Date Cake

Gluten, lactose, milk, nightshade, nut, peanut, sesame, soya & wheat free; can be nut free

Version one of this cake uses coconut oil and chestnut flour – and is rich with a really great, slightly unusual texture. But, coconut oil (the good stuff…) remains very expensive – a real indulgence if you are using 150 grams of it – and not everyone can lay hands on chestnut flour, always assuming that they are not nut sensitive and so would like to use it!  So I did a second version of the cake using PURE sunflower spread and pulverised oats, which was still excellent – but not quite as ‘interesting’ and a little more ‘bready’ in texture than version one…. Please feel free to take your pick!

Ingredientsgigner and date cake

  • 140g virgin coconut oil or 150g PURE sunflower spread
  • 100g dark muscovado sugar
  • 2 pieces of stem ginger, cut into smallish chunks and 1 tsp of the stem ginger syrup
  • 3 fresh medjool dates, pipped and cut into fairly small pieces
  • 3 large eggs
  • 100g chestnut flour or gluten-free rolled oats, pulverised in a food processor
  • 50g polenta
  • 1 level tsp gluten and wheat-free baking powder
  • 1 tbsp oat, nut or soya milk

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gs Mark 4.
  2. Beat the coconut oil or PURE with the sugar in a mixer until light and creamy.
  3. Stir in the ginger, ginger syrup and the date pieces.
  4. Stir in the eggs, alternately with spoonfuls of the chestnut flour or oats, polenta and baking powder.
  5. Mix well then stir in the ‘milk’.
  6. Spoon into a 15cm / 6inch baking tin, lined with greaseproof paper and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool for a couple of minute then decant onto a rack to cool completely.

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