My daughter and I recently took a trip to New York City to celebrate her 19th birthday. It was supposed to happen for her 16th but that “never to be forgotten world event” kind of put a kibosh on it until now. It was something we had talked about doing since she was a little girl, so we were very excited to go.

She loves plant-based food like her mom, so we had fun planning out which restaurants we should try. I knew we would find lots of vegan restaurants, but I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing they were!

We went to Cadence in East Village, a southern soul food restaurant. There we shared a Fried Green Tomatoes appetizer and an Oyster Mushroom Burger, which were both delicious. For dessert, we went across the street to the Fragile Flour, a fully plant-based bakery and wine bar. Wow, what a selection. We wanted one of each!

The following evening, we went to Planta Queen, which is walkable from the Times Square area. We enjoyed watermelon sushi, gyoza, an amazing kale Caesar salad, truffled fried rice, and finished it off with a slice of strawberry cake and coconut ice cream. 🤤

Another restaurant we were lucky to squeeze into before the Michael Jackson Show, (which I can’t say enough about), was Anixi, a vegan, kosher and gluten free Mediterranean spot. There we tried the Citrus Beet Salad, Artichoke Tots (OMG – that is another recipe I need to make!), and the Mushroom “Mozzarella” Turkish Flatbread Pizza. (pictured below). This restaurant was our second favourite.

So, this is where the Date Cake starts to come in…. At Anixi, we ordered the Mejdool Chocolate Date Cake with chocolate genache, fresh figs, edible gold (I mean we all need a bit of that right? 😁). It was to die for. This got me thinking that I should really experiment with making a date cake. I knew I could make it healthier but still moist and satisfying. Dates are so sweet on their own, you really can’t go wrong. Plus, they are a whole food, rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

Out of all of the restaurants, our favorite one was Soda Club down in East Village. It is a teensie, super skinny and dimly lit spot with THE best food I have ever eaten. It is a Michelin Star awarded, fully plant-based and vegan wine and pasta bar. Plant-based pasta dishes… I mean seriously? Indulging in my favourite food without having to explain to the server how it can’t contain any animal products? It was like a dream.

We started with warm olives and coconut feta, focaccia with pesto, Bucatini Arrabiata and Ravioli with almond ricotta and chanterelles. I am talking gastronomically delectable! We finished off the meal with another Date Cake, which may have been the best dessert I have ever ingested! There was some dueling with the spoons for sure! Good thing my husband wasn’t there! We would have had to preportion and get seperate plates. 😂

I promised myself I would make up a version of a date cake to post on my blog when we got home. My take is of course less “fun” without the copious amounts of drizzled toffee sauce, and vegan butter, but I tell you, it has been a hit for the 4 sets of Guinea pig tasters. I even made a date “caramel” sauce with no added sugar, for one of the recipe creation attempts. (All you do is blend a few softened dates with a little bit of plant milk and a pinch of salt until smooth and you have a date sauce!)

Did you know these amazing facts about dates and molasses?

Before I can post this recipe, I need to highlight some of the reasons that this Delicious Date Lava Cake is actually good for you!

~ Dr. Michael Greger shows in this video, that out of all of the sweeteners, the healthiest two are date sugar (made from dried dates) and molasses!

~ In this next video, he describes how studies have shown that dates are almost an ideal food, providing a range of essential nutrients and potential health benefits. Yes, dates are 80% sugar, but they show no adverse affects on blood sugar or weight. When studies were done on eating dates, they actually showed improvement in triglycerides and antioxidant stress levels. They are a great thing to eat when you are craving sweets.

~ According to this article by Heathline, ounce for ounce, blackstrap molasses contain more iron than eggs, calcium than milk and more pottasium than any other food! So for those of you looking to increase the iron in your diet, this cake can help. The iron in molasses is very bioavailable, meaning your body can absorb the iron very easily. Molasses are also naturally rich in antioxidants, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin B6 and fiber.

Dry mixture.

Stirring date mixture into flour mixture.

Ramekins oiled, filled with batter and placed on baking trays for support. Bake in oven at 350 degrees.

Personal cakes baked to perfection.

Individual Delicious Date Lava Cake with an oozing chocolate lava center!

Chocolate Lava Date Cake
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Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

11 dates, pitted

1 cup whole wheat flour (could substitute gluten free flour if desired)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 flax eggs, (2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons of water, left to sit for 5 min+)

1/3 cup blackstrap molasses

8 small squares of dark chocolate, approximately 10 grams each

2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Skin of one orange, finely grated

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Remove pits and stems from 11 mejdool dates. Place in a medium sized, non-plastic bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soften while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

In a small bowl, make the flax eggs by mixing 6 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds. Whisk together a couple of more times as you work and it starts to thicken.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a high speed blender, add the following ingredients…. applesauce, molasses, olive oil, orange peel, ginger and turmeric.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Strain the dates, discarding all but 1/4 cup of date water. Add the dates and the reserved water to the blender. Pour the flax eggs into the blender as well.

Blend on high until well blended.

Lightly oil either 8 small 4 ounce ramekins or one 8-9 inch round cake pan.

Slowly pour the contents of the blender into the flour mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon.

Once mixed, pour equal amounts into ramekins or all of the batter into the cake pan.

Now comes the fun part! You are going to sneak a square of chocolate into the center of each ramekin. This will make it so that when you cut into the warm cake, the chocolate lava will ooze out. Just press one chocolate square into the center of each ramekin making sure to cover the square with batter and smooth out the top.

If you are using a round cake pan, guesstimate where you will be cutting the cake and place the chocolate square so that each piece will contain one once sliced.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes on a rack. Serve warm with plant-based ice cream.

This dessert tastes arguably even better reheated for a few seconds in the microwave a day or two later.

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