Date and Walnut Cake
Feb 28, 2021, Updated Jan 26, 2026
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This date and walnut cake is easy to make and lightly sweetened, with the perfect balance of rich dates and crunchy walnuts. It has a tender crumb and a cozy, not-too-sweet flavor, making it ideal for snacking, dessert, or any time you want something a little sweet.
Being from the Middle East, I grew up eating dates and have loved them my whole life. I often enjoy them on their own as a quick sweet treat, but I also love using them in recipes. Some reader favorites include my popular date balls, crinkle cake, and of course my simple date syrup, which works beautifully as a natural sweetener for drinks. This date and walnut cake was one of the very first date recipes I published on the site, and after almost a decade, it was time to give it a few updates to make it even better.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Cake
If the flavor and texture alone don’t convince you, here are a few more reasons to try this date and walnut cake recipe. It’s made with dates, which add natural sweetness, hold their shape while baking, and shine in every bite. Walnuts add a nice crunch that balances the soft crumb.
This cake keeps well for a few days and is perfect with milk, tea, or a cup of my Turkish coffee. Kids love it as a snack or even for breakfast. Like my olive oil cake, basbousa, and Turkish semolina cake, this recipe comes together in one bowl with just a hand mixer, making it ideal for beginner bakers.
Ingredients
- Dates: Medjool dates work best for this recipe as they are soft and plump. Make sure the dates are pitted.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and make sure the butter is at room temperature so it mixes easily.
- Eggs: Always have the eggs at room temperature for baking.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar will work perfectly for this recipe. I have not tried this recipe with any alternative sweetener so I cannot recommend what else would work.
- Yogurt: To make this cake moist and fluffy, we add a bit of yogurt to the batter. You can use non dairy yogurt as long as it’s not flavored.
- Flour, baking powder and baking soda: Use all purpose flour and make sure your baking powder and baking soda are not expired.
- Walnuts: Chop the walnuts into smaller pieces – but not too small – so they add some crunch to the cake’s texture.
To make sure nothing is missing, be sure to have all the ingredients laid out and at room temperature before you get started on baking the cake.
How To Make Date and Walnut Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Prepare the dates and walnuts: Chop the pitted dates into small pieces and set them aside. I have found it’s easier to chop dates if you rub a bit of oil on the knife blade. Chop the walnuts into small pieces as well.
Combine the wet ingredients: Using a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the eggs and mix well to combine.
Add in the dry ingredients: To the wet ingredients, add the all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until combined. Gently fold in the chopped dates and walnuts.
Bake: Transfer the batter into the baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with little to no crumbs. Cool the cake completely before slicing since this cake is loaded with dates and walnuts and would fall apart if sliced before cooling.
Recpie Tips
Soak the dates: Since medjool dates are soft and tender, there is no need to soak them in water prior to the preparation. However, if you’re using other types of dates such as delget nour, it’s best to soak them in hot water for 10 minutes.
Don’t overmix: Make sure not to overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients. Overmixing will end up making your cake dense and tough.
Spice it up: You can add certain spices to boost the flavor in this date and walnut cake. I recommend 1/2 teaspoon ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
Easy Date and Walnut Cake
Ingredients
- 8 ounce medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 8 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Chop the dates and walnuts into small pieces and set them aside.
- In a large bowl whip the butter and sugar using a hand mixer until fluffy and light.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well until fully incorporated.
- Add in the yogurt and mix again.
- Add in flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated but make sure not to overmix.
- Fold in chopped dates and walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with little to no crumbs.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer it to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Date Recipes
Breads
Tahini Banana Date Bread
Mediterranean recipes
Stuffed Dates Recipe (4 Different Flavors)
Persian Recipes
Ranginak (Persian Date Walnut Dessert)
Dessert
It was delicious.
This cake is a bit dry. More like a bread really, best eaten with jam or butter.