This date and walnut traybake cake is soft and fluffy, topped with decadent cream cheese icing and packed full of crunchy walnuts. It's easy to make and great for feeding a crowd.
After many, many brownie recipes posted all in a row, I'm finally making something different! Today, it's a date and walnut traybake.
This is a soft but moist sheet cake with chunks of dates and walnuts throughout and it has a rich cream cheese frosting on top. It's great for a sweet afternoon pick-me-up and it pairs perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee. I just know you're going to love it!
I used an old sticky toffee pudding recipe of mine to make the traybake base, making just a few modifications along the way. Firstly, I added a teaspoon of cinnamon because I found the cake to be a little bland without the sticky toffee sauce. And secondly, I used self-raising flour to make it rise a little more. Because who doesn't love a fluffy traybake?!
For the topping, I used my homemade cream cheese icing but you can definitely use a premade one if you want to save time and effort. Then you just need to top it with walnuts, cut it into slices and enjoy.
Let me show you how to make it...
Ingredient list
- Dates: Dates form the sweet base of the traybake, adding a rich flavour and a slightly sticky texture. We'll be using 200g of chopped pitted dates.
- Black tea: Make sure it's boiling hot as this will help to soften the dates.
- Butter: Soften your butter before you start baking to make it easier to mix. You can do this by leaving it out at room temperature for around 60 minutes.
- Brown sugar: This will enhance the sweetness in the cake and help to keep it moist. I recommend soft light brown sugar for the best flavour.
- Vanilla extract: To add some extra flavour.
- Egg: Just one! This acts as a binder in the cake and will also give a slight leavening effect.
- Baking soda: This will react with the acid brown sugar to create bubbles, helping the cake to rise.
- Self-raising flour: Self-raising flour, also known as self-rising flour is plain flour with baking powder added to it. This, along with the baking soda, will give you a nice fluffy cake.
- Cinnamon: Just ½ a teaspoon. I really love this addition because it pairs so perfectly with the cream cheese icing. It makes it taste a bit like carrot cake but with dates!
- Walnuts: Chop them up into small chunks before adding them to the cake batter.
- Cream cheese icing: To make the homemade version, you'll need butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract. It's the perfect topping for this decadent date and walnut sheet cake.
Equipment
- 8x10-inch tin: Please try to use this size of tin if you can! A larger cake tin will not produce great results unless you also increase the ingredient quantities. My cake pan converter is a really handy tool to do this.
- Baking paper: To stop the cake from sticking.
- Bowls and utensils: You will need a large mixing bowl for the batter and a medium bowl to make the cream cheese icing. You'll also need a mug to make the black tea in, a small bowl to soak the dates in, some spoons for measuring and mixing, and a sharp knife to cut the walnuts.
- Kitchen scales: I haven't included cup measurements for this recipe because they are not accurate enough to produce consistent results. I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.
How to make date and walnut traybake cake
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180°C (or 160°C if you're using a fan oven). Then line an 8x10-inch tin with baking paper. Set it aside for now.
Step 2: Chop 200g of pitted dates into small chunks then add them to a bowl with 200ml of boiling hot black tea. Set them aside to soak for about 10 minutes or so.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, cream together 100g of softened butter and 150g of soft light brown sugar. Then stir in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Step 4: Stir in the date/tea mixture. Then add 215g of self-raising flour to the bowl, along with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Mix well to make a smooth cake batter.
Step 5: Chop 80g of walnuts into chunks then stir them into the cake batter. Transfer it to your lined tin and spread it evenly into place.
Step 6: Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cake is golden brown all over and a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool in the tin for around 10 minutes then flip it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Step 7: While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese topping. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together 120g of softened butter, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and 120g of icing sugar until you have a buttercream consistency. Then stir in 240g of cream cheese, a little bit at a time. You can pop it in the fridge to chill for a bit if you want it to be thicker.
Step 8: Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing on top and sprinkle over some more chopped walnuts. Let it sit at room temperature until the icing has set then cut into squares and enjoy!
Top tips
- Soften your butter before you start baking. If you're pinched for time, you can cube it up then pop it into the microwave for 10 seconds or so.
- Use fresh dates if possible as some of the packaged ones can have added ingredients such as rice flour, which may affect the texture of the cake.
- Don't add the date/tea mixture while the tea is still hot as it will cause the butter to curdle.
- If you're not sure if the cake is done baking, stick a toothpick or butter knife through the middle. If it comes out clean without any batter on it, it's ready!
FAQ
If you keep it in an airtight container, it will last for up to 3 days at room temperature and up to 5 days in the fridge.
Yes, this cake can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To defrost it, leave it to sit out at room temperature for an hour or two and do not refreeze.
It can serve up to 24 small portions or 8-12 larger ones. It all depends on how big you like your slices!
More traybake cakes:
- School dinner sprinkle cake
- Jam and coconut sponge cake
- Old school chocolate traybake
- Lemon traybake
- Orange drizzle traybake
I hope you like this date and walnut tray cake! If you make it at home, please leave a rating below to let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Date & Walnut Traybake Cake
Ingredients
Traybake cake
- 200 g Pitted dates
- 200 ml Black tea (boiling hot)
- 100 g Butter (softened)
- 150 g Soft light brown sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 215 g Self-raising flour
- ½ Teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 80 g Walnuts (plus a few more for sprinkling on top)
Cream cheese icing
- 120 g Butter (softened)
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 120 g Icing sugar
- 240 g Cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180℃ (160℃ for fan ovens) and line an 8x10-inch baking tin.
- Chop the dates up into small chunks then place them in a bowl with the boiling tea to soak for about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract, then the date/tea mixture.
- Add the flour, baking soda and cinnamon and mix well to create a smooth cake batter.
- Stir in the chopped walnuts then transfer the batter to your lined tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for around 10 minutes then flip it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Cream cheese icing
- Mix the butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar together until smooth. Then stir in the cream cheese, a little bit at a time.
- Spread the icing on top of the cake then sprinkle over some walnuts for decoration.
- Once the icing has hardened, cut into slices and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Carol
Lived by all that tried it, easy to make
Chloe
Thanks Carol!
Pam
Would definitely make it but prefer measurements to be in cup/tablespoons.
Joan
I made this cake yesterday and took it to a luncheon today. It was delicious and every crumb was eaten.
The dates meant there was less sugar, I only used 120 grams as I don’t like overly sweet cake but I think it would be okay for most people with the full amount of sugar. This cake has the dessert trinity of moist cake, crunchy nuts and creamy topping.
Chloe
Thank you so much Joan, I really appreciate your review 🙂
Vicky
In the recipe instructions you don’t mention when to add the date/tea mixture or whether you drain the dates after soaking. Please can you clarify?
Chloe
Oops, thanks for pointing that out! I have updated to clarify.
Elaine
Do we drain the dates? Thanks
Chloe
No need to drain- add the tea too 🙂
Bea
Can you use regular AF instead of self raising.
Thanks
Chloe
Yes but add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to the recipe too