Date Chocolate Cake (Healthy, Refined Sugar-Free, No Eggs)

This Date Chocolate Cake is a healthy dessert recipe made with no eggs, no refined sugar, and no dairy, but with a rich chocolate flavor and a moist and fluffy crumb.

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While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

Date Chocolate Cake

This Date Chocolate Cake is a healthy dessert recipe made with no eggs, no refined sugar, and no dairy, but with a rich chocolate flavor and a moist and fluffy crumb.

5 from 32 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16 slices

Calories: 266.4 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1 ½ cups Medjool Dates - pitted, equivalent to 10.5 ounces (300g), or 17 Medjool dates (note 1)
• ▢ 1 cup Boiled Water - lukewarm (note 2)
• ▢ 1 cup Almond Milk - lukewarm (note 3)
• ▢ ⅓ cup Mild-Flavor Olive Oil - (note 4)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour - (note 5)
• ▢ ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ▢ ½ cup Coconut Sugar - (note 6) Optional – recommended for a sweeter cake
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Date Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup Almond Milk
• ▢ 8 Medjool Dates - pitted
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Almond Butter - (note 7)
• ▢ ¾ cup Dark Chocolate Chips - (note 8)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with lightly oiled parchment paper. Set aside.
• Pit the dates if they are not pitted. Measure or weigh them after they have been pitted. Discard the pit. Place the pitted dates in a large glass bowl.
• In a saucepan, add water and almond milk, cover with a lid, warm over medium heat, and bring to a low boil.
• Remove from the heat, and immediately pour the warm liquid over the pitted dates, and cover the bowl with a large plate. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.
• Bring back the bowl with the dates and lukewarm liquid. Pour everything in a high-speed blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
• Pour the lukewarm date mixture in the bowl with the dry ingredients, and add oil, and vanilla extract.
• Use a rubber spatula to gently stir and combine everything together until smooth and consistent.
• Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan.
• Bake in the center rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it, meaning the cake is baked, but still moist.
• Let the cake cool down for 10 minutes in the pan at room temperature, then on a cooling rack for 3 hours before frosting.

Frosting

• In a saucepan, add chocolate chips, almond butter, almond milk, and pitted dates.
• Bring over medium heat, and stir until the chocolate chips are melted. The dates won't dissolve, but the warm mixture softens the dates, and that's the goal of adding them to the pan now. It takes a few minutes to melt.
• Remove from the heat, pour into a food processor, add the cocoa powder, and process on high speed.
• Stop the food processor a few times, scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula, and repeat until most of the dates are blended and turned into a smooth frosting – you will always have tiny bits of dates, and that's ok.
• Spread over the cooled cake.

Notes

Note 1: I haven’t tried the cake with other date varieties. It might work, but it’d bring a slightly different taste, texture, and sweetness. You can weigh the pitted dates, or pack them lightly in measuring cups, or count them – this cake batter uses 17 Medjool dates.

Note 2: Boil the water, and set aside to cool down for 5 minutes.

Note 3: Any milk works for this recipe, like soy milk, coconut milk, or oat milk.

Note 4: Or any low-flavor oil like melted refined coconut oil or canola oil.

Note 5: You can also use whole wheat flour or white spelt flour. The cake doesn’t work with almond flour or oat flour. For a gluten-free version, use my gluten-free conversion guide.

Note 6: You can use any granulated sugar like brown sugar, sugar, or skip, if you don’t want a sweet cake.

Note 7: Or any nut butter you love, like peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter.

Note 8: Use any type of chocolate chips you love; semi-sweet chocolate chips provide lots of sweetness to the frosting. I like 70% chocolate chips, or 85% for a low-sugar frosting.

Storage: Store the cake in an airtight cake box in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15°C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (with frosting) | Calories: 266.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.3g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 9.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Sodium: 145.8mg | Potassium: 320.2mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23.6g | Vitamin A: 39.3IU | Vitamin B12: 0.02µg | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 101.8mg | Iron: 1.7mg | Magnesium: 44.3mg | Phosphorus: 88.4mg | Zinc: 0.8mg

Ingredients and Substitutions

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this recipe. Here’s how to pick and swap them.

• Medjool Dates – These are the key ingredient of the cake, providing natural sweetness, moisture, and a lovely chewy texture. You can also count them for consistent measurement.
• Boiled Water – This helps soften the dates, allowing them to blend into a smooth paste for the cake batter.
• Almond Milk – This adds liquid to the batter, contributing to the cake’s moistness and consistency. Soy milk, coconut milk, or oat milk also work well.
• Light Olive Oil – This contributes to the cake’s tender crumb and overall moisture. Any low-flavor oil, such as melted refined coconut oil or canola oil, works too.
• Vanilla Extract – To bring more flavors to the cake, it goes really well with the chocolate and dates.
• All-Purpose Flour – This is the base of the batter, giving it a soft and fluffy texture. Whole wheat flour or white spelt flour are also good options. For a gluten-free version, use my gluten-free conversion guide.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – This provides the rich chocolate flavor and a dark color for the cake and frosting.
• Baking Soda – This leavening agent reacts with the dates’ natural acidity to help the cake rise.
• Baking Powder – This also contributes to the cake rising, making a light and airy texture.
• Coconut Sugar – This is an optional sweetener for the cake, allowing you to adjust the sweetness level to your preference. Other granulated sugars, like brown sugar, are fine, or you can skip it entirely.
• Almond Butter – This adds richness and helps create a smooth, creamy texture for the frosting. Peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter are great alternatives.
• Dark Chocolate Chips – These are melted into the frosting, providing a decadent chocolate flavor and richness. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips or opt for 70% or 85% chocolate for a less sweet frosting.

How to Make Date Chocolate Cake

Let me show you how to make this delicious cake in a few pictures.

Heat the milk and water for 10 minutes in a pan before pouring on the pitted dates and transferring the lot into a blender.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, pour the date mixture, and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into a baking pan and bake it for  40-45 minutes at 350°F (180°C).

Add the frosting ingredients to a saucepan. Heat it, add the cocoa powder, and process in a food processor. Spread over the cake.

Carine’s Baking Tips

Let me share a few more tips for a perfect date chocolate cake.

• Choose Medjool Dates – For the best results, always use Medjool dates. Their thick, rich texture and flavor are ideal for both the cake and the frosting.
• Accurate Date Measurement – After pitting your dates, make sure to measure them precisely by weight or by lightly packing them into measuring cups. Medjool dates have a consistent size, so counting them is also a reliable method.
• Don’t Overmix – Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir just until everything is smooth and consistent. Overmixing can lead to a tougher cake texture.
• Check for Doneness – When baking, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should come out with just a few moist crumbs, indicating the cake is baked through but still wonderfully moist.
• Cool Completely – Allow the cake to cool fully on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before you even think about frosting it. Frosting a warm cake will cause the frosting to melt and slide right off.
• Adjust Frosting Sweetness – If you prefer a less sweet frosting, use chocolate chips with a higher cocoa percentage (like 70% or 85% dark chocolate) for the frosting.
• Optional Frosting – The date frosting is absolutely delicious, but if you’re short on time or prefer a simpler cake, you can skip the frosting entirely. You can also use my classic Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting recipe.

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