Not one of her Majesty’s favourites, but in her honour… Queen Elizabeth Cake is a retro celebratory dessert that truly merits resurrection! Maybe even newstalgification… Evidence shows it was created in 1953, coincident with QE II’s coronation…
According to McLean’s magazine: “Though no one is 100 per cent sure whether the moist, date-filled cake is named after the Queen, or her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, it was a stalwart of family dinners and church bake sales in the 1950s. Chatelaine published a recipe for an elaborate version in time for parties to mark her coronation in 1953.”
Great anytime
Whether it’s the Queen’s (or the King’s) or your own, or someone else’s birthday – or anytime you want to serve a different festive dessert – this is the cake for you!
AllRecipes contributor Carmella D’Acquisto described the somewhat unconventional ‘cake’ thus: “Queen Elizabeth Cake features a sweet, tender date cake with a crumbly, praline-like topping that gets nicely toasty under a broiler. It’s simple, unique, and absolutely irresistible. So even if this cake wasn’t served to royalty, it certainly is fit for a queen.”
Sweet on Sweet
Brace your sweet tooth! This recipe doubles the sweetness employing both a handsome handful of dates and a full cup of white sugar and 2/3 cup of bhrown sugar. There’s also the customary teaspoon of Vanilla Extract – which – as most experienced bakers will know, both enhances the sweetness fur-ther and, at the same time, cuts the cloying edge.
The overall richness of the cake is boosted by the addition of chopped walnuts, coconut… and half a cup of cream!
You can top it with Vanilla Ice Cream, Coconut frosting or Whipped Cream, But it’s wonderful just by itself.
Salient points:
When the recipe says to ‘add the date mixture’ it means, add the soaking water, also.
Use the richest cream you dare to add! But 10 percent table cream will still produce a luscious result.
You can substitute other ingredients in place of the coconut. But… Whatever you choose must be compatible in flavour and texture with the role coconut fills in the recipe. Keep in mind, the over-arching flavour of the cake is ‘date’ – so choose substitutions carefully!
You can substitute other dried fruits in place of the dates. But then, it’s not REALLY a QE II cake anymore!
My take
I love the idea of this quirky cake. And I love what goes into it. When I saw the picture accompanying the recipe, I immediately sat up… I knew I’d had this wonderful treat once before… When I was 4 or 5 years old. I think my Dad’s Mom made it for some family feast or other. Maybe Easter?
Nevertheless… Once you’ve tried QE II cake, the sweet memory will stay with you your whole life!
Maggie J.