Anytime Gluten-free Date and Walnut Cake (Ekadasi friendly)

Date and walnut cake

Today (Monday 19th November) is special. Not only is it Ekadasi (the day which comes around twice a month on which practitioners of Bhakti Yoga fast from grains and beans) but it is the second Ekadasi in the holy month of Kartika, dedicated to the sweet childhood pastimes of Lord Krishna. Devotees flock to Vrindavan in India for the annual pilgrimage. We like to offer a lamp every day to Him in this month, and sing special prayers to Radha and Krishna. 

Today our offering to you will be this cake, which can be eaten even on Ekadasi days. We often follow Ekadasi dietary rules on festival days, so it's a great recipe to have up your sleeve for gatherings. And if you're a vegan and on a gluten free diet this cake is for you too.

In fact, anyone could eat this cake, anytime (people with nut allergies can just omit the nuts and replace the nut milk with coconut milk).

Ingredients:
400g buckwheat flour
200g sugar
100g sultanas
90g dates (stoned)
50g walnuts (chopped)
1 tab ground ginger (it cuts the earthiness of the buckwheat rather than giving an overtly gingery flavour)
400ml almond milk (home made to avoid additives)
50ml melted coconut oil
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda in 20ml lemon juice

• Mix together the flour, sugar, fruit, nuts and ginger in a large bowl.
• Beat the coconut oil with the almond milk and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
• In a small container, add the bicarb to the lemon juice. It will foam and froth and you need to add this to the cake mix as quickly as possible, turn the batter into an oiled and floured cake tin (8"-10" in diameter) and bake in the middle of an oven preheated to 180C for about 35 minutes.
• When cool enough, release the cake from the tin. Store in a cool place (but not the fridge because that will dry it out), in an airtight container or wrapping. Makes 12 slices.