Queen Elizabeth Cake Recipe
Dead easy! Some people say to make this cake a day or two in advance before serving.
Cooking Temperature 175 C / 350 F / Gas Mark 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water boiling
- 1 cup Dates chopped
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 cup Shortening
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups Flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup Nuts chopped
- 1/4 cup Butter soft
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar packed
- 1/2 cup Desiccated Coconut
- 2 teaspoons Cream
Instructions
- Start heating oven to 175 C / 350 F / Gas Mark 4.
- Grease an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) cake tin.
- Pour boiling water over dates. Stir in baking soda, set aside.
- Beat in a large bowl: shortening, the white sugar, egg and vanilla until fluffy and light. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- To the shortening mixture, alternately add the dates and the flour, mixing each in well. When those are all in, fold in the nuts.
- Transfer to cake tin. Bake until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, and cake is brown (about 30 minutes.) Let cake cool for half an hour.
- Meanwhile, mix the butter, brown sugar, coconut and cream together.
- When the cake has cooled for half an hour, spread the topping on it, then put under grill or broiler (about 4 to 6 inches / 10 to 15 cm from the heat) for a few minutes until browned lightly, then remove. If desired, sprinkle with a bit more coconut and chopped nuts. Let cool.
- Freezes well.
Notes
For the nuts, try walnuts or pecans.
Don't wander off and do something else while the cake is under the broiler! Keep your eyes on it like a hawk!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!