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Preheat
the oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking pan coated
with DuPont SilverStone® non-stick.
In
a medium bowl, combine the baking soda, butter, dates, and boiling
water; set aside to cool.
In
a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, mace, cardamom, and
salt. Add the egg to the cooled date mixture; then pour the date
mixture over the dry ingredients; add the nuts and gently combine;
pour into the prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the
cake springs back. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Prepare
the pudding. Heat 3 cups of the milk over hot water in a double
boiler coated with DuPont SilverStone® non-stick, just until
heated through; do not boil. Using a shaker, combine the remaining
cup of milk and the flour and shake vigorously to form a paste.
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and whisk in the brown sugar
and salt. Whisk
in 1 cup of the hot milk, then add all of the sugar/milk mixture
to the milk still in the double boiler. Cook the mixture over medium-high
heat, whisking continuously until thick, about 8 minutes.
Whisk
the egg yolks into the hot mixture followed by the butter and vanilla.
Cook 5 minutes longer; remove from heat and transfer to a heat-resistant
container. Cover with plastic wrap touching the pudding; refrigerate
to cool completely.
To
assemble the trifle, cut the cooled cake into 3 pieces. Coat each
piece with the creme de cacao and let soak into the cake for 15
minutes. Cut 1 piece in half lengthwise; then cut each half into
3 strips (there will be 6 strips). Cut each strip into 10 cubes
and set aside in a separate pile on a platter. Repeat with the remaining
2 pieces.
Place
1/3 of the cake cubes into a 3-quart serving bowl. Arrange 12 date
halves over the cake, and spread 1/2 of the cooled pudding on top
of the cake. Repeat with the cake, dates, pudding until you reach
the top of the bowl. Spread whipped topping over the last layer,
as much or as little as desired; then sprinkle toasted walnuts on
top of the cream. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate
for 24 hours.
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