Pecan, Date, Apple and Chocolate Snack Cake
Barritas de Nuez, Dátil, Manzana y Chocolate
Recipe Yield
18 bars approximately
Cooking time
30 minutes
Rate this recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound) peeled and finely grated
- 1 teaspoon ground canela or true cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups unsalted butter plus more to butter baking dish
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1¼ cups (about 8 ounces) chopped pitted dates
- 1½ cups (about 6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 cup (6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
To Prepare
- In a small mixing bowl, mix the grated apples with the cinnamon and cocoa powder. Set aside and let sit while you prepare the rest, or for at least 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan or casserole, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat and incorporate the sugar, mixing with a whisk or spatula until combined. Add the beaten eggs and stir until well combined. Add the dates and mix until fully incorporated and the dates are not clumped. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until well mixed. Add apple mixture, pecans, and chocolate chips, and mix until fully combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the top has puffed up and is golden brown, and a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Run a dinner knife around the edge of the pan, turn out onto a cutting board, then flip again onto a platter or board. Cut into rectangles or square bars as you eat it. They will keep, covered, for up to a week.
Comments
62comments inPecan, Date, Apple and Chocolate Snack Cake
Anonymous
Mar 13
the bars are in the oven right now! I omitted the chocolate chips but let the melted butter slightly brown for nuttier flavor. Can’t wait to try!
Pati Jinich
Mar 20
Yum, let me know how did they come out!
Jeannie
Mar 12
They’re in the oven!! I’m pacing!! 😊 👩🍳
Pati Jinich
Mar 20
Yay! How did you like them?
Debra
Mar 11
I always enjoy your show. Your love for cooking really shows. This recipe looks delicious and I’m making it this weekend!
Pati Jinich
Mar 20
Yay! I hope you liked it as much as I do 😉
Sandra Cipollone
Mar 09
Hola Pati me encantó verte compartiendo con mi gente linda de Chihuahua y por supuesto la comida deliciosa 😋 voy a hacer las barras de nuez que también se ven riquísimas jiji
Te dejo saber que tal me salieron?
Gracias 🥰
Pati Jinich
Mar 20
Si! Cuentame si te gustan, a mi me encantaron!
Lyle Holm
Mar 02
Hello Pati, I watch your show on PBS regularly. I’m 87, this is the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried to make. I did it as close to how you described it on the show as I could and it came out wonderfully. I had more than enough to share with my neighbors and it was a hit each time. The only problem (not a problem) is that I’ve been asked to make more.
Keep up the good work.
Pati Jinich
Mar 20
Aw, this is very sweet of you Lyle, thanks for sharing and for giving my recipes a try!
Nancy Gorton
Jan 13
Loved this show at Chihuahua Mexico
Pati Jinich
Jan 26
So happy you did! Gracias!
Gary :-)
Jan 11
Hey Patti – This recipe looks very Yummy! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for showing it to us! 🙂
Pati Jinich
Jan 26
Let me know how it turns out Gary!
Bette Glindmeyer
Jan 11
Watched Pati make these bars on her show and want to try. Don’t like dates or figs (too sweet) so am planning to try prunes. Found out online that they are a good substitute and not as sweet.
Pati Jinich
Jan 26
Absolutely, go for it Bette!
Elena
Jan 11
Made this today delicious but there where a little gooey any suggestions? We cooked them a little longer.
Pati Jinich
Jan 26
They are supposed to be gooey 😉
Marlyn Dochenetz
Jan 06
Loved the ingredients, cut back butter to 1 cup and added 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. Substituted Monkfruit for sugar and Monkfruit melting wafers for chocolate chips. (Cutting back on sugar). Turned out great. Thanks for fabulous recipe.
Pati Jinich
Jan 07
And thanks to you for sharing your subs Marlyn!
Diane
Jan 04
Hi Pati, Love your show and would love to make this for my family, but I have 1 member allergic to chocolate, what would be a good substitute.
Thanks so much.
Pati Jinich
Jan 07
Just leave it out Diane and enjoy!
Ro
Jan 04
I just watched you make this, but I missed the beginning because I was cleaning my kitchen when I heard you mixing the ingredients, and I just stopped everything! I looked it up and cannot wait to make it. I do have to go get the dates, pecans and apples, and when so do it’s game on!
Pati Jinich
Jan 07
You are going to love it Ro!
Betty Young
Jan 04
Watch you make them on TV. They looked delicious. Will be making them soon.
Love watching your cooking show.
Pati Jinich
Jan 07
Thanks so much Betty, I hope you love this snack cake!
Elizabeth Kulp
Dec 22
Saw Pati make this on KET. Looks great. I am going to try it. Thanks Pati.
Pati Jinich
Dec 26
Let me know how you liked it!
Joseph Monda
Dec 16
Hi Pati,
I’ve been looking for a recipe that included four of my favorite things for a long time, then I watched you make it on your show. I am getting the ingredients together and will definitely bake this cake tomorrow. Thanks for all the great ideas, I am becoming a better cook by watching you cook.
Joe Monda
Pati Jinich
Dec 25
Aw, this is so sweet you Joe, gracias!
Gumbogator
Nov 19
Delicious… my new go to snack cake.
Pati Jinich
Dec 24
So happy that you liked it!
Carmen
Nov 18
Can you use raisin instead of the dates? Or just omit the dates?
Pati Jinich
Dec 24
You will lose a lot of the sweetness and goodness if you omit the dates Carmen 🙁
Leslie & Roxie
Nov 11
We watched this today, 11/11, on KQED, San Francisco. We love your different series and learning more about the cultures of Mexico with you!
Have you experimented with non-gluten flour for this recipe? Since it not rising like a cake or bread, perhaps many different flours could be used. We want to make this for friends with celiac. We are new to trying to adapt recipes to not use gluten-containing grains.
Pati Jinich
Dec 24
I have not tried to make this gluten free but I do not see why non-gluten flour wouldn’t work Leslie!
Jennifer
Jan 20
I just made this today with GF flour, and it turned out so well. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour. I cut the butter to 1 cup, and used maple syrup instead of granulated sugar. Followed the same steps. My wife thought it was regular flour when she ate it! It is so fluffy, like cake. Delicious! Gracias Pati!
Pati Jinich
Jan 26
Sounds like a plan to me, thanks for sharing!
JoAnn Balderrama
Nov 07
This looks divine!! But I’m allergic to dates. What can I use instead? Or can I eliminate dates all together?
Pati Jinich
Nov 19
Yes, you can leave the dates out and add maybe some dried cherries, just make sure to add an additional 1/2 of sugar to replace the sweetness of the dates JoAnn 😉
Paula B
Nov 04
Hi Pati,
I made this for my husband, he was in love with it.
We both watch your show and love it, may I say you have such a sweet spirit.
Thanks for inspiring me.
Pati Jinich
Nov 19
And thank you guys for tuning in!
Mary
Oct 29
Love your menus
I am on an limited diet
Cause of my seizures so treat my self so desserts
Pati Jinich
Nov 19
Take care of yourself Mary, un abrazo!
Lydia Rodriguez-Knowles
Oct 29
Hello my name is Lydia. I made the Pecan, Date, Apple and Chocolate Snack Cake. I noticed that the cocoa powder was listed in the ingredients and then not mentioned again in the recipe. I added the cocoa powder at the last minute after realizing it was still sitting on my counter. I keep notes on my baking and I added this in my notes. I also recommend buying chopped dates! I think this recipe sounds delicious! Thanks, Lydia
Pati Jinich
Nov 19
Hey Lydia, the cocoa powder is used in the very first step when you mix it with the grated apples and cinnamon 🙂
Barbara Spencer
Oct 28
This recipe looked delicious on TV. My family is gluten free. What flour substitute can I use? I love your show!
Pati Jinich
Nov 12
What about almond flour Barbara? I am pretty sure this cake will come out delicious!
Karin s
Oct 21
I figured it out. I’ve only put in one cube of butter, not two. Oopsey
Pati Jinich
Oct 23
Glad to hear and also that you loved the flavor Karin!
Deniece Zyp
Oct 21
Hola Pati, any suggestions for a light glaze for this wonderful cake?
Pati Jinich
Oct 23
This one is sweet enough with the dates and those also give it a moist, chewy consistency, that I don’t think a glaze is needed here Deniece 😉
Dixie Carver
Oct 20
Watched you make this recipe yesterday on PBS. I so wanted to try this recipe, it looked so good. Then today as I looked on my phone and there was the recipe. Thanks so much. I enjoy your show sooo much.
Pati Jinich
Oct 23
Thanks to you for following Dixie, this is so sweet of you!
Jeanne Holtz
Oct 19
Pati, These are right up
my alley I live in San Antonio, TX and all my children and grandchildren do too, so these won’t have to travel very far. I’ll let you know the verdict. Thanks so much, Jeanne
Pati Jinich
Oct 23
Happy to know you will be making this for “the kids” Jeanne, hoping here that everyone loves this cake!
Cheryl
Oct 19
I would love to see the recipe for the pecan and date pie that was featured on the visit to the pecan farm.
Pati Jinich
Oct 23
Let me see what I can do 😉
Cheryl
Oct 19
This looked absolutely wonderful (if a bit heavy on the butter) until Pati added all of that sugar! The dates and apples alone would make these bars sufficiently sweet, especially with the chocolate chips that are in there.
I will make them, substituting apple sauce for half of the butter, and eliminating the granulated sugar.
I’m looking forward to tasting them.
Pati Jinich
Oct 23
Sounds like a plan to me Cheryl, let me know how it comes out 😉
Andrea Smolensky
Oct 19
Watched you make this 10/24 and have the recipe now to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thank you for your great recipe. 5* Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Pati Jinich
Oct 23
So happy to hear Andrea, yay! I hope everyone enjoys it 😉