Shared by Monica Haim
Shared by Monica Haim
Torta de Datiles (Date and Walnut Cake)
Yield: 16 squaresTime: 40 minutes
Torta de Datiles (Date and Walnut Cake)
Yield: 16 squaresTime: 40 minutesFamily Journey
Bogota and Barranquilla, ColombiaMiamiNew York City
Homer, Alaska
Longing for her family during the pandemic, Monica Haim has been baking torta de datiles or date cake in her home in Homer, Alaska. It’s 5,000 miles and a world away from Miami where she grew up in the heart of the Colombian-American Jewish community. The foods, recipes, and stories of their community have kept her sane. “The one thing I can do to ease that heartbreak on a daily basis is to cook the food that takes me home,” she shares.
Monica’s family came to Colombia by way of Poland and Russia on her mother’s side of the family and Turkey, Iran, and Syria on her father’s side. Their Shabbat cooking reflects their diverse background with recipes for guava challah, Moroccan spicy fish, arroz con fideos (rice with vermicelli noodles) from a Syrian “aunt,” torta de espinaca (spinach and cheese pie) from the mother of her best friend, and her own mother’s torta de datiles or date cake.
The recipe, which is served in bars like brownies, is simple to make — whether it's Shabbat or a weeknight.
This recipe was shared by Monica Haim. Read more about her family in "In Rural Alaska, Monica Haim Dreams of a Colombian-Miami Feast."
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the parchment
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped (about 8-10 dates)
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional garnish
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Grease the parchment with butter and sprinkle lightly with flour to coat. Tap the pan to discard the excess flour.
Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix well to combine. Add the dates and nuts and stir to combine.
Step 3
In a small bowl, with a whisk or a fork beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons of water and vanilla until combined. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until to until smooth.
Step 4
Pour the batter into the baking dish and smooth it into an even layer with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
Step 5
Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. Using the parchment, lift the cake onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 equal pieces and dust with confectioners’ sugar (optional). Leftover torta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
