Dates and figs are two of the seven species of the ancient world. The others being wheat, barley, grapes, pomegranates, and olives. These are the fruits that are ripe and ready to harvest at the time of the Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah. It is customary in most homes, to prepare the holiday meal using these fruits as a means to celebrate the "plenty" but also as symbols of renewal and hope.
In my family we ate apples and honey, as did almost everyone I knew. Apples because they were plentiful and ready to harvest at this time, and honey because it is the exemplification of sweetness. Clearly, Jews adapted.
We also ate Date Cake.
Not sure how dates made it to rural Saskatchewan or why a version of this cake is popular with folks outside the Rosh Hashanah crowd, but it is still one of my favorites. Over the years, I have added fresh figs to the recipe brighten it up a bit.
BT's Date and Fig Cake
Ingredients:
For Filling:
1 1/2 pounds (675 grams) Medjool or Deglet Noor
2.2 pounds (1 kilo) fresh figs
1 1/2 tablespoon silan (date syrup)
1 lemon
pinch of salt
ground black pepper
2 cups (450 ml) water
For Cake:
2 1/2 cups (225 grams) coarse rolled oats
2 1/2 cups (340 grams) flour
1 cup (220 grams) brown sugar
1 1/2 cup butter (340 grams)
2 level teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. (175 C.)
Remove pits from dates
Remove stem from figs and cut into quarters
Add dates and silan to saucepan
Cut lemon in half and place face down with the dates
Boil water and pour 1 cups (225 ml) over dates
Place pan on low heat and stew fruit until it is totally broken down
You may need to add small amounts of water to keep fruit from burning
In a separate saucepan add figs
Add brown sugar, salt and pepper
Add 1/2 cup (112 ml) of boiled water to figs
Place on low heat and stew until fruit is broken down
Remove lemon from dates
Combine dates and figs
Stir well and reserve
Mix together flour, oats, salt and baking soda
Cut butter into dry ingredients until the crumble resembles small pebbles
Pour 2/3 of crumble into bottom of baking dish
Press down with your hands until the crumble is packed tightly and is even
Pour fruit filling over top of crumble
Spread remaining cake mixture evenly over fruit by rubbing it between your hands and letting it fall on fruit
Bake until fruit is bubbling and crust is slightly brown - approximately 30-40 minutes
Eat warm with vanilla ice cream
Enjoy! !בתיאבון
Note: Cake is very rich and unless you are having a crowd it may be too much for one seating. It does keeps well in freezer.
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