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Date squares
Carrés aux dattes, also called matrimonial cake
Date squares are on the tea table in every Canadian church hall and school bake sale, called carrés aux dattes in Quebec and matrimonial cake in the West. A buttery oat crumble is pressed into a tin, spread with a soft date filling and covered with more crumble, then baked until golden. They keep for days and freeze well. A common mistake is spreading the dates while hot onto loose crumb, which makes the base soggy; press the base firmly. Chef's tip: add a strip of orange zest to the dates for a brighter flavour.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the filling
- 12 ½ oz pitted dateschopped
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
For the crumble
- 7 oz rolled oats
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 5 ½ oz brown sugar
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 ½ oz buttermelted
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer 12 ½ oz pitted dates, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp orange zest over a low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring and mashing, until thick and jammy. Cool a little.
12 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line a 23 cm square tin with baking paper. Mix 7 oz rolled oats, 5 ½ oz plain flour, 5 ½ oz brown sugar, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda and 1 pinch salt, then stir in 6 ½ oz butter until it clumps.
5 minStep 3: Press a little more than half the crumble firmly into the tin. Spread the date filling over it and scatter the rest of the crumble on top, pressing lightly.
5 minStep 4: Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown on top.
35 minStep 5: Cool completely in the tin before cutting into 16 squares.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does date squares take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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