Date And Walnut Cake

This vegan date and walnut cake recipe is similar to coffee walnut cake but denser and packed with nuts and fruit. It's a spin on traditional British date and walnut loaf.

This rich and nutty loaf cake has a moist texture that pairs wonderfully with your favorite hot beverage.

a slice of date walnut loaf with a stack of more slices in the background.

Jump to:

📖 Recipe Overview
🧾 Ingredients Needed
🥣 How To Make Date And Walnut Cake
🌰 Variations
📝 Recipe Tips
💬 FAQs
🍞 More Loaf Cakes
Date And Walnut Cake

📖 Recipe Overview

Quick And Easy - With minimal equipment, you don't need a blender, or stand mixer.
Simple Ingredients - Easy to find ingredients, a lot of which you may already have in your pantry.
Fluffy & Moist Texture - This is one of those cakes that tastes even better after sitting on your counter for a day or two. This gives the flavors a chance to marry and brings out the molasses in the brown sugar.

I'm always looking for ways to include more desserts with dates here on the blog as they are such a delicious addition to both baked and no-bake desserts. Try my date muffins, date caramel, date brownies, vegan snickers, and stuffed dates next.

🧾 Ingredients Needed

Here's everything you need to make this date walnut cake from scratch:

ingredients for date walnut cake measured out in bowls on a wooden surface with text overlay.

Ingredient Notes

Dark Brown Sugar - I use dark muscovado which is unrefined cane sugar with a high molasses content. If you want to use an alternative like coconut sugar you can, but the cake won't be quite as moist.
Olive Oil - A lot of date walnut loaf cakes are made with butter, this recipe uses olive oil instead which helps it stay moist for 5 days or more! You can swap olive oil for a more neutral oil like sunflower or rapeseed if you prefer.
Dairy-Free Greek-Style Yogurt - I initially tested this recipe without yogurt but after 3 or 4 tries I realized that an egg replacer was necessary to help prevent the cake from crumbling. You can use vegan sour cream, or in a pinch unsweetened apple sauce will probably work.
Hot Coffee - Be sure to brew the coffee at the last minute as the heat helps to soften the dates.

🥣 How To Make Date And Walnut Cake

Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

As mentioned, this vegan date cake is incredibly straightforward to make. From start to finish, you only need about an hour and a quarter to make it, which includes baking time! Here's a visual of how it's done:

dates and baking soda soaking in coffee and olive oil in a large clear bowl.

Step 1: Add the chopped dates, baking soda, hot coffee, and olive oil to a large mixing bowl and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.

dates, coffee, olive oil, brown sugar, and vegan yogurt mixed together in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: To the date mixture, whisk in the brown sugar, yogurt, and vanilla until smooth and combined.

date and walnut loaf batter in a large mixing bowl.

Step 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a spatula until there are no pockets or streaks of flour.

date and walnut cake batter smoothed out in a USA loaf pan.

Step 4: Scoop the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top of it with a spatula or knife.

date cake studded with walnuts in a loaf pan before baking.

Step 5: Stud the top of the loaf with some more whole walnuts. Bake for 45-55 minutes, the loaf will turn golden brown on top.

🌰 Variations

Here are some ways you can add some of your own flair to this easy date cake:

Skip the coffee - If you don't normally use coffee, you can swap it out for plain boiling water or add hot tea for a twist of flavor.
Add spice - A teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ginger would make a lovely spiced version of this cake.
Swap the nuts - If you aren't a fan of walnuts, you can use pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts instead. I recommend using blanched hazelnuts and almonds without the skins.
Skip the dates - If you don't like dates, you can use prunes or raisins instead.
Add Frosting - I feel like this dates and walnut cake is sweet enough, but you can always add another layer of sweetness and tang with cream cheese frosting.

📝 Recipe Tips

There's no need to splash out on expensive medjool dates. Although they are delicious they can sometimes be pricey. Your run-of-the-mill dried dates work perfectly for this recipe since they are presoaked before baking.

Line the pan with a parchment sling. The best way to line loaf cakes is to lightly grease your pan but also cut a sheet of parchment and leave an overhang on both sides of the loaf tin. This makes it so much easier to lift the loaf out once baked.

Place the pan on top of an aluminum tray or baking sheet. This helps the walnut loaf to bake evenly from underneath.

Slice with a serrated knife. The walnuts in the cake are much easier to slice through with a toothed blade. I recommend waiting for your loaf to cool completely before slicing for the cleanest cuts.

💬 FAQs

How long does walnut cake last?

This cake stays fresh for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also extend the shelf life by freezing it for up to a month. Make sure you tightly wrap the cake in plastic wrap or place it in a sealed container before placing it in the freezer.

Does this date cake taste like coffee?

I don't think so! Hot coffee is added to enhance the flavors of the dates, brown sugar, and walnuts. It doesn't shine through very much in flavor but just adds a slight taste note of coffee.