ANITA TASKER suggests another easy-to-cook cake with honey, dates and walnuts.

THIS honeyed date and walnut cake is another ‘one bowl, bung it all in together’ cake recipe – ideal for when you need something quick and tasty. It also keeps well.

You will need: Set of scales; a large mixing bowl; wooden spoon, and a wire cooling rack, 21cm inch cake tin (round or square) or a 21cm Baba tin, all of which I know you budding bakers will have by now!

Honeyed Date & Walnut Cake

Ingredients

125g chopped butter softened but not melted
110g castor sugar
2 tbsps runny honey
2 large eggs
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
125ml full milk
60g chopped walnuts
120g chopped pitted dates
225g self raising flour

Pre-heat oven to a moderate heat: fan oven 150C, gas mark 4 or non-fan oven 180C.

Grease and flour your Baba tin or line with greaseproof paper the base of your chosen round or square tin.

Put all ingredients into your bowl and beat until well combined, which will take about five minutes by hand and half that time if you have an electric whisk.

Pour mixture, which will be medium stiff, into your cake tin and pop into your pre-heated oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Because of the dates it will be soft to the touch; just check it’s baked by looking at the sides of the tin, it should just be shrinking away from the edges.

We sprinkle our cake with icing sugar but you could melt some chocolate and pour over your cake if you want to make it look extra special. Enjoy.

Anita Tasker runs Pattacakes, the patisserie, bakery and café at Welburn, near Castle Howard.