CHOCOLATE DATE CARAMEL CAKE (eggless)

 I love anything with caramel in it and this cake is a classic combination of great flavors, it is one of those rare occasions when I bake a cake without eggs, and really loved the end result.
 Ingredients-
for cake:

• Flour-300 gms
• Baking powder-1 tsp
• Chopped dates-150 gms
• Chopped walnuts- 50 gms
• Melted butter-4 tbsp
• Brown sugar-115 gms
• Skim milk-300 ml

for the caramel filling and icing:

• Sugar-2 large tbsp
• Double cream-1/2 cup
• Vanilla extract-1/2 tsp
• Cooking chocolate-30 gms
• Icing sugar-1/2 tsp

Method-

1. Sift flour and baking powder.Stir in dates.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C.Grease and line cake tin.
3. Mix the melted butter, sugar, dates and milk and stir into dry ingredients.
4. Spoon into prepared tin and bake till golden brown and firm approx 45 minutes.
5. for filling and icing-
6. Take a heavy bottom pan and add sugar along with 4 tbsp of water to it, put on flame and let caramelize, stirring frequently.
7. When sugar is golden take off heat and add a splash of water to cool down, next tip in the cream reserving 1 tbsp for the decorative piping, add vanilla and put back on heat, stirring well till thick.
8. Let the cake cool, then split into half with a sharp knife, spread out half of the caramel filling and sandwich cake.
9. Put the rest of caramel filling back on low heat and add the chopped chocolate, stir well till chocolate melts, let cool till warm and then pour on top of cooled cake.
10. Let the cake chill in the fridge, then combine the reserved cream with 1/2 tsp icing sugar and whip, pipe a trellis pattern on the cake with a plain small nozzle.Let the icing set