I’ve been unable to master Arabic, so I have no idea if there’s a translation for the phrase “snack cake.” My mother, who was half Syrian (and never mastered Arabic either), often made this cake for me when I was a kid. As an adult, I frequently find myself craving a piece for a snack. Or whatever a between-meal nibble is called. When I got the recipe from her, I read it through and noticed there wasn’t any butter in the cake. I figured it was probably a mistake, but when I baked it up, I found that no butter was necessary—the cake simply didn’t need it. It does benefit from a very generous dusting of powdered sugar, which can be a little messy, but part of the fun of Middle Eastern desserts is licking your sugary fingers after you’ve polished off the last bite.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 8-inch (20-cm) square cake; 8 to 10 servings

　　2 cups (12 ounces/340 g) pitted dates, quartered

　　1 cup (100 g) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

　　1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　3/4 teaspoon aniseed

　　3 large eggs, at room temperature

　　1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

　　3 tablespoons (45 ml) orange juice (freshly squeezed or store-bought)

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　Powdered sugar, for dusting the cake

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20-cm) square cake pan, dust it with flour, and tap out any excess.

　　

Step 2

In a small bowl, use your fingers to toss together the dates, walnuts, and 1 tablespoon of the flour, breaking up the sticky date pieces.

　　

Step 3

In another small bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, the baking powder, and salt. Crush the aniseed in a mortar and pestle or seal them inside a sturdy plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add the crushed seeds to the flour mixture and stir to combine.

　　

Step 4

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, orange juice, and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, then the date-nut mixture just until combined.

　　

Step 5

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until the top is light golden brown and the cake feels just barely firm in the center, about 40 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Heavily dust the warm or room-temperature cake with powdered sugar. Cut into squares right in the cake pan.

　　

Storage

Step 7

The cake will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature.

　　Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Copyright © 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He's the author of four highly regarded books on desserts, and has written for many major food magazines, sharing his well-tested recipes written with a soupçon of humor. His popular, award-winning blog, www.davidlebovitz.com, entertains readers from around the world with sweet and savory recipes as he tries to unravel the complexities of living in Paris.