Grandma Ives Chocolate Chip Walnut Date Cake

My maternal Grandmother made this cake when I was a child.  I have never come across a recipe like this one nor one that tasted quite the same.  This cake needs no icing so please don't put any on it, but GEE it goes great with ice cream!

I try to make this cake as my own Birthday Cake, but it is an Everyday Cake as she often said, a cake that was nice to have on hand when someone dropped in for tea.  The instructions are set out the way she had it written down, not quite the format of current cake recipes, so read through carefully before you start to put it together.  This is a moist sweet cake.  I actually slightly changed the steps of this cake, but it makes no difference in the end result.

Grandma Ives Chocolate Chip Walnut Date Cake

 

In a bowl:

1 cup chopped dates

1 teaspoon baking soda

pour in and mix until fairly smooth (it gets a bit fizzy)

1 1/2 cup boiling water

 

let cool

 

In a Large Bowl:

 

Cream together

1/2 cup butter (or hard margarine)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

 

Sift together

 1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

add so they are well coated

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

 

Add

dry mixture to creamed mixture, mix together as you would muffins then add date mixture and finish stirring.

 

Pour into a 9" x 13" cake pan that has been oiled and floured lightly beforehand.

This cake rises a fair amount.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes  - test with a straw to make sure it is baked all the way through.

 

Allow to cool, and slice and serve.

 

ENJOY!