Timir Cake (date cake)

The next treat I’ll be sharing with you, is known as timir cake. A cake that is made up of dates and topped with a mouthwatering toffee sauce. Dates is very common household treat in my culture. Whether it’s fresh or dry dates, you’ll find them at home. One of the main reasons that dates tend to remain in my house for so long, is due to Ramadan, a month spent fasting and getting closer to God. In Islam, it is said that it’s Sunnah (a tradition) to break our fasts with dates. Dates are something that are embedded in my culture, as well as my religion.

It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to break his fast with fresh dates before praying. If there were no fresh dates, then with dried dates, and if there were no dried dates, then with a few sips of water.

Narrated by Ahmad (12265); Abu Dawood, 2356.

This may come as shock, but I never knew timir cake existed until two years ago. I stumbled across it whilst visiting a Somali restaurant with some friends. After a large dish of rice and chicken, I was introduced to this outstanding cake. I was hesitant at first, because I thought ‘date cake? That does not sound right’. I’m generally not a big fan of dates on their own, but I soon fell in love with the delicacy. The idea of the sweet toffee encasing the cake and the warm buttery sauce melting its way down the cake, is an image that can never be forgotten. I was soon hooked and it became one of my favourite Somali treats. Another person in my family who loves this treat, is my step-father. Originally from Spain, he had a culture shock when marrying my mother 14 years ago. He enjoys eating Somali food and being introduced to new recipes. He is a great cook himself and loves to bake, allowing me and him to try out a few recipes ourselves. Allowing us to have a better bond (that and reading too).

This is one of the many Somali treats that are not very well known. My mum had also been introduced to the timir cake here in London, which was quite astonishing to hear. I was made aware that back in Somalia, timir cake is not always made and it is in fact, only made on special occasions. it was interesting to find out that my mum learned something about her culture here and just like many other recipes, timir cake was originally made dates, milk, flour and sugar. And just like I’ve mentioned previously, the recipe of the cake depends on the way each family has passed it down.

The recipe is listed below, enjoy:

Sticky Toffee Pudding:

Two cups of dates (chopped up)

One and a half teaspoon of baking soda

One cup of milk (it has to be warm)

Three quarters of a cup – brown sugar

Three quarters of a cup - unsalted butter

Two large eggs

One and half teaspoon of baking powder

Two teaspoons of vanilla extract

One cup of flour

Toffee/Caramel Sauce:

Three quarters of a cup - unsalted butter

One cup of brown sugar

Two cups of light cream

One teaspoon of vanilla extract

Half a teaspoon of salt

Date cake sounds romantic, I promise you it is not so. But if you had it on a date, it would sure help you end the night on a good and tasty note.

References:

https://islamqa.info/en/ref/islamqapages/55