Moist Chocolate Date Cake

This has got to be the nicest of cakes. The aroma, as it is cooking, reminds me of Christmas.

With the use of nutmeg and cinnamon. I used my new bundt tin, and it was very easy to get out of the tin, once it was cooled. I put a drizzle of Chocolate icing on mine and served it with double cream.

Moist Chocolate Date Cake

Ingredients
2 cups coarsely chopped dates 2 cups water 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1/3 cup baking cocoa 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 250g butter 1 1/2 cups Chelsea Dark Cane Sugar 1 vanilla bean pod, sliced in half 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 cups plain four1 cup self raising flourMethod
Preheat oven to 180º C conventional or 160ºC. Grease 24cm bundt pan.
Combine dates and water in saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Take from heat and stir in bicarbonate of soda, cocoa, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
Beat butter and dark cane sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape seeds from inside vanilla bean and add to creamed mixture.
Add eggs gradually, beating well between each addition. Sift combined flour twice and fold into mixture with date mixture.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 - 1 hour 10 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Stand cake for 10 minutes in pan then turn onto cooling rack. Slice and enjoy drizzled with Spiced Custard.