Date Nut Cake

If you have picky eaters, do not for any reason tell them that this is anything other than cake. I told mine it was chocolate chip cake. And, to a man, they ate it. And loved it. (I had to whisper to my dearly beloved that there were dates and nuts in it, or he wouldn't have tried it.)

This comes from a Betty Crocker cookbook I bought a good 20 years ago, with a title to the effect of Shortcut Cooking For the Smart Cook (I think that's accurate, but I'm too lazy to trot through a couple of rooms to find it). The title of this cake pretty much sums up the ingredients....

CHOCOLATE CHIP DATE NUT CAKE

1/2 cup chopped dates
2/3 cup very hot water
1/2 tsp baking soda

Pour the water over the dates, stir in the soda, and set aside for 5 minutes while you gather the rest of the ingredients.

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Add all of these ingredients except the chocolate chips to the date mixture and mix until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into an 8" square baking pan. Add the topping:

1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips (which I skipped)

Stir these together, and sprinkle over the unbaked cake. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until the cake tests done. While it's still warm, stir together 1 to 2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and a bit of cream until smooth to make a glaze. Drizzle over the cake and serve warm.

Around 1AM, I found my hubby wandering around the kitchen, plate in hand. "It called me," he said. Of course, he was talking about the cake; he ate a second piece before bed.