Chocolate-Date Cake

I watched with a twinge of nervousness as this cake rapidly disappeared on Saturday!
It is always gratifying to have something you've made go down so well - but only after you've had a chance to take some pretty photos ; )

I rescued a few pieces, just so that I could share it with you, of course. Photos included!

I made this - really just an amped up version of a date fridge cake - for my wedding cake. (Oh, my word: just remembered it's our anniversary tomorrow!! Please tell me that the 9th anniversary gift is cake? No? Oh, dear....)

Anyway... I made this type of cake for our wedding. Ringed it with chocolate filled wafer sticks and topped it off with a mound of truffles from Arriba Chocolates in Durban.
It was awesome - even if I say so myself! (This was back in the days when I hadn't even heard of ganache or fondant).
But it didn't get eaten! Everyone was so over-fed by our amazing caterers by that stage of the evening (we'd had spicy tomato soup, Mexican fajitas, then pancakes with every decadent filling you can imagine -thanks Di!) that there was no space for cake.
So we froze it.
And then removed it piece by piece from the freezer over the next few months.

Okay. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate-Date Fridge Cake
Recipe by Tea, Cake & Create


450g dark chocolate, chopped into even sized pieces
100g butter
250g pitted dates, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 packet (200g) Marie biscuits, broken into small and medium sized pieces
100g glacé cherries, chopped
100g salted roasted peanuts
100g white chocolate, chopped


In a heavy bottomed saucepan, on low heat, melt together the chocolate, butter and dates.
When the chocolate is all melted, mix in the beaten egg.
Stir well, incorporating the egg completely into the other ingredients.
Remove from the stove. Allow to cool slightly.

Add in the biscuit pieces, the cherries and the peanuts. Mix together. Add the white chocolate last - you don't want it to melt.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 22cm springform pan. Smooth out the surface with a potato masher.

Refrigerate until set.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Remove from the fridge 30min before serving - otherwise you'll need a chainsaw to cut through it!

 : )

xxM