175 g loosely packed chopped, pitted dates
125 mL boiling water
100 g packed dark brown sugar
60 mL vegetable oil
1 large egg
150 g all-purpose flour
25 g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp salt
90 g chocolate chips (dairy-free, if required)
100 g icing sugar (for dusting)
Dust the cake with icing sugar and slice to serve.