Chocolate Chip Date Cake- It Tastes Like "More!"

Well, it has been a long dry summer recipe-wise. I had terrible luck adapting ANYTHING to high altitude. It was just one failure after another, but yesterday I finally triumphed! A very successfully adaptation of Kent's all-time favorite cake, the one, the only, Chocolate Chip Date Cake.

The original recipe came from Kent's Aunt Arlene Hazlett years and years ago. I'm not really sure where she got it. This is the cake that Kent requests every year for his birthday, and sometimes we just have to have it even if it's not his birthday.  It is completely yummy and delicious. It tastes like "more"! 

Chocolate Chip Date Cake- Original Egg Free Low Land Recipe 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan. (I like to use cocoa instead- it makes a prettier presentation for a chocolate cake)

Cake:
2 cups dates, chopped (or just use one bag of Dole chopped dates)

1 ¼ cups boiling water

¾ cup shortening ( I use butter)

1 cup sugar

Ener-G Egg Replacer and water, mixed for 2 eggs  (original recipe calls for 2 eggs)

2 cups flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbs cocoa

Topping:

¼ cup sugar

1 bag (12 oz.) chocolate chips

¼- ½ cup chopped nuts

Pour the boiling water over the dates and let cool. 

While it's cooling, sift flour with the salt, soda, and cocoa. Also measure and have ready the topping ingredients. Instead of mixing the topping ingredients, I like to keep them separate and add them in layers. More on that in a bit.

Cream the butter and the sugar. 

Once the dates are cool, start adding the dry ingredients alternately with the date mixture.

Add the mixed Ener-G Egg Replacer at the very last.

Pour into prepared pan.

Top the cake batter first with about half of the chocolate chips, then the nuts, then the sugar, and then the second half of the chocolate chips.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Test with a toothpick for done-ness.

Serve topped with whipped cream. 

About 12 servings

Egg Free At Altitude© Chocolate Chip Date Cake (changes are marked in bold face)

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and flour (cocoa) a 9" x 13" pan.  

Cake:
2 cups dates, chopped (or just use one bag of Dole chopped dates)

1  cups boiling water

¾ cup shortening ( I use butter)

1 cup sugar

Ener-G Egg Replacer and water, mixed for 1 egg

½ cup buttermilk

2¼ cups flour

¼ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking soda

2 Tbs cocoa

Topping:

¼ cup sugar

1 bag (12 oz.) chocolate chips

¼- ½ cup chopped nuts

Mix and bake the same as above, except add the buttermilk to the butter and sugar mixture before adding the dry ingredients alternately with the date mixture.