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    Home » Amish Recipes

    Date and Walnut Cake - Amish Date Pudding Recipe

    12/10/2021 by Anna Leave a Comment

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    Date and Walnut Cake Recipe

    Date and walnut cake is a quick and easy dessert to make. And it's delicious to eat at any time of the year. But it's an especially great make-ahead Christmas dessert.

    You can bake this date and nut cake a few weeks before Christmas and freeze it to keep it fresh. Then remove it from the freezer the day before Christmas to let it thaw.

    Amish date and nut cake pudding with cool whip

    On Christmas morning, cut the cake into little squares and mix it with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Now you have Amish date pudding. It's an amazing and easy Christmas dessert that will get many compliments.

    Amish Christmas Food

    I published a post about what Christmas was like for me as an Amish child. (Click here to read about our Amish Christmas traditions.)

    The Amish are not conservative when it comes to making good food for Christmas. We always baked hundreds of cookies and made lots of chocolate candies. And we had a big assortment of food for our Christmas dinner.

    Amish roast (chicken or turkey and dressing) is a traditional wedding and holiday dish for the Lancaster County Amish. So we had this at every Christmas dinner, that I can remember, with my Amish family.

    And we always had mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, vegetables, coleslaw, etc. Another side dish we always had was Christmas salad (also known as Ribbon Salad - recipe here).

    And, of course, there was a variety of different desserts, like pecan pie, cookies, homemade vanilla cornstarch pudding, and this date and walnut pudding.

    There was so much good food, and I'm sure we all ate more than we should have. But that's typically what happens over the holidays. Then we diet after New Year's Day.

    Old-Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe

    Date and Nut Pudding was one of my father-in-law's favorite Christmas desserts. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend too much time with him, since he passed away only about a year and a half after we got married. But he loved this date dessert.

    My mom-in-law, however, made her date and walnut pudding by layering date cake with homemade butterscotch pudding and cool whip. It is amazing, and I started making it like that sometimes too.

    The pudding adds an extra flavor and creaminess that takes this date pudding to a new level. But it is easier to bake the date and nut cake and just mix it with Cool Whip. It's such a fast and easy make-ahead Christmas dessert.

    Date Nut Cake

    This recipe for date pudding is super easy to make. If you can find chopped dates, feel free to buy them.

    I used whole pitted dates and chopped them with my Ninja chopper. (Yes, I use this gadget for a lot of recipes that I publish on here :).) And I also chop my nuts with my Ninja.

    And I'm adding the affiliate link again, in case you decide that you need one.

    AMAZON DISCLOSURE: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. So if you click on the link to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you.

    If you don't have a chopper (you should invest in one ;)), you can use kitchen shears or a knife to chop the dates and nuts.

    Date and nut cake ingredients

    Date and Walnut Cake Recipe With Egg - Make Ahead Christmas Dessert

    To make date and nut cake put the chopped dates into a large bowl. Add the butter and pour the boiling water over the top. Let it rest for about five minutes.

    Add the sugar, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Then add the dry ingredients and mix. Stir in the chopped nuts. Bake in a greased 9 x 13" cake pan for about 25 - 30 minutes.

    Cool the cake. Now you can cover the cake with a couple of layers of plastic wrap and the lid and freeze it for several weeks until you're ready to serve it. Or you can serve it immediately.

    Date cake is delicious served with ice cream or pudding and drizzled with butterscotch sauce. Or you can mix it with Cool Whip or whipped cream to make date pudding.

    Assemble the Amish date nut pudding at least an hour before serving. Cut the room-temperature cake into little squares and mix it with Cool Whip or whipped cream.

    Refrigerate until ready to serve. Then drizzle with caramel sauce, or not.

    Amish date cake cut up

    Should I use Cool Whip or Whipped Cream??

    We always made Amish date pudding with Cool Whip, but now I very seldom buy Cool Whip.

    Whipped cream is so easy to make. Simply buy a big carton of heavy whipping cream. Pour the cold cream into a mixing bowl. Add vanilla and sugar (to taste), and beat it at medium-high speed until it starts to thicken.

    Then continue to beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Don't walk away and let this beat too long though, because eventually, you will be making butter ;).

    Whipped cream is a lot healthier than Cool Whip. It's the real cream from the cow. While Cool Whip is an artificial man-made substance.

    And, of course, whipped cream tastes so much better than Cool Whip. I used to like Cool Whip and could eat it by the spoonfuls. But since I started using real cream, I will never go back.

    Lightly sweetened whipped cream is the real deal, and we eat way too much of it (on top of pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc. You get the point! I love the stuff!)

    So I recommend making date pudding with whipped cream, but I know that some of you won't feel like bothering, so go ahead and make it with Cool Whip. It's good either way.

    And honestly, if you use whipped cream, don't mix more of the cake with the cream than what you think you'll get to eat in a day or two. It will be better when freshly mixed, as whipped cream is not as stabilized.

    date and nut cake mixed with cool whip

    This Amish Caramel Popcorn Recipe is a great snack to make for your Christmas holiday parties.

    Amish date and nut cake pudding with cool whip

    Date and Nut Cake Recipe, Amish Date Pudding

    Amish Date Pudding is a delicious basic cake with chopped dates and walnuts that is cut up and mixed with cool whip or whipped cream. An easy make-ahead Christmas dessert.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Amish
    Servings 25 people
    Calories 245 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 c. chopped dates
    • 1 Tbsp. butter
    • 2 c. boiling water
    • 1 1/4 c. sugar
    • 2 eggs, beaten
    • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 3 c. all-purpose flour
    • 2 tsp. baking soda
    • pinch of salt
    • 1 c. chopped walnuts

    To make Date Pudding:

    • 2 - 3 (8 oz.) containers of Cool Whip, thawed (or sweetened whipped cream)
    • caramel or butterscotch sauce to drizzle, if desired

    Instructions
     

    To make Date Nut Cake:

    • Preheat oven to 350°.
    • Put chopped dates into a large bowl. Add butter and pour boiling water over the top. Let set for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
      1 c. chopped dates, 1 Tbsp. butter, 2 c. boiling water
    • Add sugar, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Mix well.
      1 1/4 c. sugar, 2 eggs, beaten, 2 tsp. vanilla extract
    • Add flour, soda, and salt. Mix.
      3 c. all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, pinch of salt
    • Stir in the chopped nuts.
      1 c. chopped walnuts
    • Pour into a well-greased 9 x 13" cake pan. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

    To make Date Pudding:

    • Cut the cooled cake into little squares and mix with 2 - 3 tubs of thawed Cool Whip. Or substitute the Cool Whip with whipped cream. (See notes.)
      2 - 3 (8 oz.) containers of Cool Whip, thawed (or sweetened whipped cream)
    • Place into a large serving dish, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Drizzle the top with caramel or butterscotch sauce, if desired. Serve.
      caramel or butterscotch sauce to drizzle, if desired
    • Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

    Notes

    I chopped an 8 oz. package of whole pitted dates in my Ninja chopper. Sometimes you can find chopped dates. But if you use pre-sugared or floured chopped dates, you may need to make slight adjustments in the recipe.
    If you prefer, you can substitute the walnuts for pecans.
    This cake is great served with vanilla pudding or ice cream. Or serve it with Cool Whip or whipped cream and caramel or butterscotch sauce drizzled over the top.
    To make date pudding, you can mix the cake with Cool Whip or sweetened whipped cream. Whip 3 - 4 cups of heavy cream, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1/4 cup sugar, until soft peaks form. Mix with the cake. But if you're not serving a big crowd of people, only whip enough cream to mix with part of the cake.  You won't want a lot of leftover mixed date pudding since whipped cream is not as stabilized as Cool Whip.
    For more variations, you can drizzle caramel or butterscotch sauce over the top of the date pudding. Or make a homemade butterscotch pudding and layer it with the cake and Cool Whip.
    *Nutrition is approximate.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 116mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 23IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Amish Date Pudding Recipe, Date and Nut cake
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Check out my YouTube channel at My Amish Heritage

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    Hi, I’m Anna. I grew up Amish in the Lancaster County, Pa. area (the heart of Amish country). I currently live in a small rural town in Missouri and am a homeschool mom to 4 great kids. Some of my favorite things to do are spending time in the kitchen, (baking and preparing meals from scratch), gardening, and spending time with my lovely family.

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