Chocolate Date Cake

Chocolate Date Cake

• 1 1/4 cups seeded dates
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 60g butter, chopped
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped finely

1. Chop prunes, combine with the water and soda in a medium bowl, cover and stand 5 minutes
2. Using wooden spoon stir in the finely chopped butter, until melted, then stir in sugar, lightly beaten eggs, flour and finely chopped chocolate.
3. Pour mixture into greased pan and bake in moderate oven for about one hour.(Oven should be preheated to moderate)
4. Serve hot with chocolate sauce.

Serves 8

Tips

• It is important that the pan be well greased, because the cake mixture is both very wet and very sugary (two conditions making it likely to stick to the pan when baked)
• Cake will keep for up to one week in an airtight container at room temperature. 
• The dates can be substituted with prunes.