Eggless Date Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup milk
18 dates, pitted and left whole
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation

Heat milk in a saucepan until almost boiling and stir in dates; let soak for several hours, refrigerated. For best flavor, refrigerate dates and milk overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a medium loaf pan.
Transfer milk and dates to food processor, add brown sugar, and process into a smooth paste. Mix in vegetable oil and vanilla extract with a few pulses.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Pulse flour mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, into the date paste until batter is smooth; do not overmix. Stir walnuts into batter with a fork and transfer to the prepared loaf pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.