Matrimonial Cake (Date Square)

My first job out of high school was selling baking at summer farmer’s markets in the small prairie towns close to home. My best seller, by far, was the humble date square, or matrimonial cake as it’s called in Manitoba. I couldn’t make enough! Every week I’d make more, and every week I would sell out. To me, the smell of boiling dates will always be the smell of summer and those busy farmers market days. There is a whole pound of dates in these bars; boiled until gooey and soft, and baked in a brown sugar oat base with more brown sugar oat goodness crumbled on top. These are sticky, sweet and delicious.

Ingredients:

• Filling:
  • One Pound Dates: Approximately 2 2/3 cups of dates that are good for baking, I recommend Medjool.
  • Enough water to cover the dates (approximately 1 1/2 cups).
  • 1/4 Cup White Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
• Base/ Topping:
  • 1 Cup Salted Butter: Softened
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Cups White Flour
  • 1 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350. Add the dates to a large saucepan and cover with water until the dates are fully submerged, for me this was around 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil until the dates are soft, approximately 15 minutes, stirring on occasion to prevent burning or sticking.

To the softened dates, add the white sugar, vanilla and salt, stirring until fully combined.

In an stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream the softened butter and brown sugar until combined.

To the butter and brown sugar mixture, add the flour, rolled oats and baking soda. Mix on low speed until full combined, the texture will be similar to cookie dough.

Line a 9″ x 13″ cake pan with parchment paper. Crumble half of the oat batter into the lined cake pan and press into the bottom, making sure there are no holes in the base.

Spread the date filling over the base.

Crumble the remaining oat batter over the date filling, doing your best to spread it out and cover the whole cake.

Bake at 350 until the top is golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Matrimonial Cake (Date Square)

Ariana

There is a whole pound of dates in these bars; boiled until gooey and soft, and baked in a brown sugar oat base with more brown sugar oat goodness crumbled on top. Sticky, sweet and delicious.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings 16

Equipment

• 9″ x 13″ Cake Pan

Ingredients

  

Filling

• 1 lb Dates medjool, or other soft baking date
• ¼ Cup White Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• ½ tsp Salt

Base and Topping

• 1 Cup Salted Butter Softened
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 ½ Cups White Flour
• 1 ½ Cups Rolled Oats
• ¼ tsp Baking Soda

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• In a large saucepan, cover the dates with water. Bring the dates to a boil, reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer until soft, approximately 15 minutes.
• Remove the dates from the heat. Add the white sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir until combined.
• In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter with brown sugar.
• Add the flour, oats and baking soda to the creamed butter/sugar. Mix on low speed until full combined. The texture will be similar to cookie dough.
• Line a 9″ x 13″ cake pan with parchment paper.
• To the lined cake pan, add half the oat batter. Spread out and press into the pan, making sure there are no holes.
• Spread the date filling over the oat base.
• Crumble the remaining oat batter over the filling, spread the crumbs out to cover most of the cake.
• Bake at 350° until golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Keyword daintie, date square, manitoba, matrimonial cake