Date and walnut cake

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Sorting out my new food cupboard this morning, I found a packet of dates which needed using. My Mum used to make a very moist date cake, so I hunted in her notebook for the recipe. Eureka!

175g dates, chopped
210ml boiling water
3/4 tspn bicarb. of soda
175g light [or dark brown] sugar
50g soft margarine [or butter]
1 egg, beaten
225g plain flour
3/4 tspn baking powder
40g walnuts, chopped
1 tspn cinnamon

preheat oven gas4/180C/350F
Grease and line a 20cm [8"] square cake tin

Put the dates in a bowl with the boiling water and bicarb and leave for about 10 mins.
Beat the sugar and margarine together [I used butter and light brown sugar, but my Mum used margarine and dark brown sugar] then add the beaten egg, dates and water.
Stir in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon [my addition!] and then the walnuts.
Put the mixture into the tin and bake for about an hour. Mine took 50 mins in a gas oven.
I decided to ice it with some glace icing.

                                 Mum's written that it keeps well. It's very moist.

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