Anna Louise There are recipes that feel modern, and there are recipes that feel timeless. Mary Berry’s date and walnut cake is firmly in the second category — and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.
It is one of those old-fashioned British bakes that somehow never gets quite the attention it deserves, overshadowed by flashier alternatives. But anyone who has eaten a properly made date and walnut cake knows exactly what I am talking about.
The dates give a deep, almost caramel-like sweetness that is rich without being cloying. The walnuts add a lovely bitterness and crunch. And the sponge itself — moist, dense, deeply flavoured — is the kind of thing that stays with you long after the last slice is gone.
This Mary Berry date and walnut cake recipe is the one I make every autumn when I want something genuinely warming and substantial. It bakes as a loaf, which makes it wonderfully easy to slice and share. It keeps beautifully. And it is one of the simplest, most rewarding bakes on this entire site.
Why You Are Going to Love This Date and Walnut Cake
There is a reason this cake has been a British staple for generations. Let me tell you what makes it work so well.
Dates are extraordinary baking ingredients. When they are soaked in boiling water or tea before baking — which is what we do in this recipe — they soften and break down slightly, releasing their natural sweetness and a wonderfully sticky, caramel-like flavour into the batter. This is what gives a great date cake its characteristic moistness and depth.
The combination of dates and walnuts is one of the great British flavour pairings. The walnuts are slightly bitter and crunchy; the dates are soft and intensely sweet. Together they balance each other perfectly and create something that is far more interesting than either ingredient alone.
It bakes as a loaf. I love this. A loaf cake is informal, unpretentious, and practical — it slices neatly, fits in an airtight container easily, and feels completely at home on a kitchen counter rather than demanding to be displayed on a cake stand. It is a cake for real life, and I love it for that.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Date and Walnut Cake
For the Date and Walnut Loaf
- 200g pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 175ml boiling water (or strong black tea for extra depth)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 175g soft light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g walnut pieces, roughly chopped
- Pinch of salt
To Finish (Optional but Lovely)
- 8–10 walnut halves, to decorate the top
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar, to scatter over the top
How to Make Mary Berry Date and Walnut Cake — Step by Step
Step 1 — Soak the Dates (Do This First)
Place the roughly chopped dates and the bicarbonate of soda into a heatproof bowl. Pour over the boiling water or strong black tea. Stir briefly, then leave to soak for 20 to 30 minutes. The dates will soften completely and the liquid will turn a rich, dark syrup. The bicarbonate of soda reacts with the dates during this soaking process — it is what gives the finished cake its particular texture and colour. Do not skip this step.
Step 2 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease a 2lb (900g) loaf tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving a little overhang at the sides so you can lift the cake out easily.
Step 3 — Cream the Butter and Sugar
Beat the softened butter and soft light brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk for three to four minutes until pale, light, and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat briefly to combine.
Step 4 — Add the Eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this point — do not worry. Once the flour goes in and the date mixture is added, everything will come together.
Step 5 — Fold in the Flour and Spices
Sift the self-raising flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl. Fold gently with a large spatula until just combined.
Step 6 — Add the Date Mixture and Walnuts
Pour the soaked date mixture — including all the liquid — into the bowl. Add the roughly chopped walnuts. Fold everything together until fully incorporated. The batter will be quite loose and dark at this point — significantly wetter than a standard sponge batter. This is completely correct and is what gives the finished cake its beautifully moist, dense texture.
Step 7 — Fill the Tin and Decorate the Top
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Arrange the walnut halves along the top and scatter with demerara sugar if using. The walnuts on top look beautiful once baked and give you an instant visual indication of what is inside.
Step 8 — Bake
Bake on the middle shelf for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is ready when it is deep golden brown, well risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Because the batter is quite moist, this cake can sometimes look done on top before the centre is fully baked — always do the skewer test.
If the top is browning too quickly, cover loosely with baking parchment and continue baking.
Step 9 — Cool
Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift it out carefully onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely before slicing — this cake slices much more cleanly once it has cooled fully, and the flavour deepens as it sits.
My Top Tips for the Best Mary Berry Date and Walnut Cake
Use boiling water or strong tea to soak the dates. Either works, but I personally love using strong black tea — it adds a subtle depth and a slightly malty background flavour that complements the dates beautifully. Yorkshire Tea is my go-to. Let it brew strong, pour it over the dates, and let the whole thing work its magic.
Do not drain the soaking liquid — add it all. Some people see the dark liquid the dates have soaked in and instinctively want to drain it away. Please do not. That liquid is packed with flavour and is exactly what keeps this cake so moist. Add it all to the batter.
Chop your dates roughly rather than finely. You want pieces of date that you can actually see and taste in the finished cake. Finely chopped dates disappear into the batter. Rough, chunky pieces give you those wonderful pockets of sticky sweetness that make this cake so special.
Toast the walnuts. I say this in almost every recipe and I mean it just as much here. A dry toast in a frying pan for a few minutes transforms the walnuts from slightly bland and soft to deeply nutty and crunchy. It takes five minutes and makes a noticeable difference to the finished cake.
This cake is even better the next day. Like all date-based bakes, this one improves significantly as it sits. The moisture from the dates continues to work through the crumb overnight, the flavours deepen, and the texture becomes even more dense and satisfying. If you can resist eating it all on the day it is made, you will be very well rewarded the next morning.
Slice it with a sharp serrated knife. A sharp serrated bread knife gives you clean, even slices without squashing or tearing the crumb. This is particularly important while the cake is still slightly warm — it will slice more cleanly once completely cool, but a good serrated knife helps enormously either way.
Serving Suggestions
The classic British way is thick slices with butter and a cup of strong tea — and I would not argue with that for a moment. It is also wonderful spread with a thin layer of cream cheese, which provides a cool, slightly tangy contrast to the sweetness of the dates.
For a proper pudding, serve warm slices with a generous pour of toffee sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Completely indulgent and absolutely worth it.
How to Store Mary Berry Date and Walnut Cake
At room temperature: Wrap in baking parchment and store in an airtight container. This cake keeps beautifully for up to 5 days — it stays moist and the flavour actually improves over the first couple of days.
In the fridge: Keeps well for up to a week in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before serving, or warm a slice briefly in the microwave.
In the freezer: Slice and freeze individually, wrapped in cling film and foil, for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Mary Berry Date and Walnut Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Combine chopped dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water or strong tea. Stir and leave to soak for 20–30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
- Beat butter and brown sugar together for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla extract.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- Sift in flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, and salt. Fold gently until just combined.
- Add the entire date mixture (including all liquid) and chopped walnuts. Fold until fully incorporated. The batter will be quite loose — this is correct.
- Pour into prepared tin. Arrange walnut halves on top and scatter with demerara sugar if using.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes until deep golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cover with parchment if browning too fast.
- Cool in tin for 10 minutes. Lift out and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
Add all the date soaking liquid to the batter — do not drain it. Use strong black tea instead of water for extra depth of flavour. Toast walnuts in a dry pan before using for the best flavour. This cake improves overnight — the texture and flavour deepen significantly. Stores in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mary Berry Date and Walnut Cake
Can I use Medjool dates instead of regular dried dates?
Yes, and if you can get Medjool dates I would encourage you to do so. They are softer, stickier, and more intensely flavoured than standard dried dates. They still benefit from the soaking process, but they need slightly less time — 10 to 15 minutes is enough. The finished cake will be even richer and more deeply flavoured.
Why is bicarbonate of soda added to the soaking dates?
The bicarbonate of soda reacts with the natural acids in the dates during soaking. This reaction softens the dates further, darkens the colour of the mixture, and contributes to the distinctive texture of the finished cake — that slightly dense, sticky crumb that is characteristic of a great date cake. It is a small amount but it makes a real difference.
Can I leave out the walnuts?
Of course. A date loaf without walnuts is still a wonderful thing. You could replace the walnuts with pecans for a slightly sweeter, butterier nut flavour, or leave out the nuts entirely for a smooth, uniformly textured loaf that is suitable for anyone with a nut allergy.
Can I make this as a round cake rather than a loaf?
Yes — a 20cm round cake tin works well. The baking time will be slightly shorter, around 40 to 50 minutes, so start checking with a skewer from the 40-minute mark.
My date cake is very dense — is that normal?
Yes, absolutely. A date and walnut loaf is naturally a dense, moist cake — it is not a light sponge. The texture should be close-crumbed, slightly sticky, and substantial. If it feels undercooked rather than just dense, give it another 10 minutes in the oven and check again with a skewer.
Can I add chocolate to date and walnut cake?
You can, and it is rather wonderful. A handful of dark chocolate chips folded through the batter with the walnuts adds an extra layer of richness that works beautifully with the sweetness of the dates. Use a chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content for the best balance.
