It’s pretty easy to bake a delicious cake with sugar and butter. I wanted to challenge myself today so I came up with a cake that is almost fat free and also is sugar free NATURALLY!!!!!!! A few months back I made a delicious banana snack cake without adding butter. I wondered if I could make a date cake without adding sugar or butter and I sort of did! I really didn’t know how great this cake was until I made it a 2nd time unembellished. A little while back I published this recipe just for the cake plain because many people don’t want a fancy cake and mess with making a marmalade ………..You can always purchase a jar of all-fruit jam without sugar to spread on the cake……I think any sort of orange flavor and a little chocolate goes very well with this cake (you can drizzle it a little melted chocolate or stick chocolate shavings to the side). Mandarinquats (a mandarin and kumquat cross) were used as a marmalade topping. The Mandarinquats are full of flavor, are perfect for marmalade and goes extremely well with dates. I wasn’t too sure about the cake being great with sugar or butter until I made the cake a second time……but I thought by dressing the cake with Mandarinquat Marmalade the cake would be delicious and it is…..I also embellished the cake with some leftover home made ricotta cannoli fillings that I used like frosting that I had in my freezer that aren’t too sweet but delicious…..A cake doesn’t have to have too much sugar or fat in it to taste good! I note that the marmalade recipe makes about double of what you need. It’s also better to make the marmalade the day before if you want the marmalade cool for your cake.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1 cup water – (for marmalade)

1/2 lb mandarinquats – ends sliced off cut in slices – seeds removed (you may substitute other small citrus but the flavor and tartness may differ some) – (for marmalade)

small pinch ground star anise – (for marmalade)

one cinnamon stick – (for marmalade)

3/4 cup sugar – (for marmalade)

1/2 Meyer lemon – (for marmalade)

1 lb dates – pits removed – chopped – soaked in hot water 1/2 hour and drained – (for cake)

4 eggs beaten – (for cake)

3/4 cup flour – (for cake)

1 teaspoon cinnamon – (for cake)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder – (for cake)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda – (for cake)

1/4 teaspoon vanila extract – (for cake)

small pinch sea salt – (for cake)

non stick spray to spray pan for cake

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8 inch cake pan with non stick spray and set the pan to the side.

In a sauce pan on medium high heat add the citrus, star anise, cinnamon stick, sugar and bring to boil stirring pretty much……this takes a long time to cook…maybe 25 minutes (sorry I forgot to time)….you know its done just when you start to thing this will never get done……..The mixture starts to darken and thickens suddenly before your eyes and it’s done…Take off of heat when done and pour into a container to cool it some.

The soaked and drained dates get blended with the eggs……You blend them till it looks like cinnamon chocolate chip batter then you transfer to a mixing bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.

Pour into 8 inch non stick sprayed cake pan.

Bake until done. (in my oven this took 20 minutes)

Remove from oven when done.

If you are adding a cannoli or cream cheese boarder then you have to wait till the cake is cool to add it………and fill in with marmalade

Or you can add the marmalade right away and serve.

My husband was bummed that I made a dessert because he is not very found of sweets but even he said that this cake was very good and it is!